BMW Reveals Active Hazard Braking Project

As part of a German joint research initiative known as Aktiv, BMW has been working on a couple of new technologies intended to make a safer traffic system. In the Aktiv project, BMW has developed an assistance system called Active Hazard Braking, that is supposed to eliminate nose-to-tail impacts.

“From official statistics and from our own analyses of accident databases in the project, we know that many accidents are attributable to a driver reacting inadequately, too late or not at all,” Peter Zahn, Project Manager with BMW in the Aktiv research initiative, said in a release.

“Every tenth of a second’s reaction time gained makes a crucial contribution to accident avoidance if a vehicle thinks for itself with lightning speed in critical situations and can itself react during a momentary lapse of attention on the part of the driver,” added Zahn.

The system works like this: laser scanners on the vehicle monitor the road situation ahead and to the side, while radar sensors provide surveillance of the area to the rear. The driver’s behavior is also analyzed.

“If the sensors recognise the threat of a collision, the driver is appropriately alerted to the situation and, if necessary, the brakes are applied fully to avoid an accident,” explains Philipp Reinisch of BMW.

Aktiv stands for “Adaptive und Kooperative Technologien für den Intelligenten Verkehr” (Adaptive and Cooperative Technologies for Intelligent Traffic). BMW is one of the 28 partners from the automotive industry to be involved in it. These companies range from electronics, telecommunications and software companies to research institutes and highways and transport authorities.