[mikesierra]

First off, the entire incident was my fault.

I was driving on the local free way and may have been overspending a bit. I received a text and for a split second glanced at my smart watch, only to hear a loud beep as the car stopped. Looking up, I first noticed a red car sign on the HUD and then saw what prompted the car to brake hard.

A cop had pulled over another car, causing the entire traffic to stop suddenly. While there was a few feet gap between my car and the car right in front, the second car in front of me had to get off on to the roads shoulder to avoid a collision.

My eyes must have been off the road for less than 3 seconds, but at 80 mph, that obviously was a bit too much.

Again, this was all my fault, but if the car hadn't done what it did, I would likely not be a living member of this forum.

Cheers to safety technology!

[HighlandPete]

One piece of technology, to help save us from another piece of technology...

[FredBa]

Nice! And lucky you didn't get rear-ended. I've seen the red car (step 1) and even the red shadows next to it (step 2) in the dash but never experienced the car slamming on the brakes independently.

Was this the driving assistant with or without front radar?

[CINCYFAN]

I appreciate posts like this…the reason I'm still here and driving my G01 is because this F30 saved my life…

[rob175]

IMHO (and as a motorcycle owner) I think all smart phone software should require the vehicle to be "non-moving" to operate, except for making or receiving calls! (even then, calls also use the same part of the brain as visual acuity and can be just as distracting hands free or not).

I know that's a "revolutionary concept" that most drivers would object to.....until they know someone who was injured or killed due to "distracted driving". Deaths, injuries, insurance rates, etc etc. are all on the rise due to the "distracted driving" trap that people fall into.

Even at 30 mph our cars travel 44 feet each second. To say that you only looked at your phone for a split second isn't believable, nobody does that BUT, if they do, even for 1/2 second, that's still 22 feet in 1/2 second!

Just my 2 cents............

[Ravenous666]

I would rather say the car saved the live of the cop.

I know we are all sinners which sometimes get distracted but I have never seen so much idiot drivers constantly texting like in the USA.

[mikesierra]

No, that's why I started with it was my own fault. I don't text while driving, but hard as it may be to accept, glancing on your smart watch is as bad, and I am guilty of that.

It's easy to forget how much distance the heavy fast moving body can cover in second. I hope this helps put things in perspective for someone else as well.

The cop car was on the other shoulder, off the road. The person in front of me got saved though. I am thankful that things didnt turn out to be ugly.

The car has acc stop and go, so it has the front radar. At the time of incident, the cruise control was not on. My foot was on the accelerator pedal when the car stopped.

[nord1899]

Originally Posted by rob175

IMHO (and as a motorcycle owner) I think all smart phone software should require the vehicle to be "non-moving" to operate, except for making or receiving calls! (even then, calls also use the same part of the brain as visual acuity and can be just as distracting hands free or not).

I know that's a "revolutionary concept" that most drivers would object to.....until they know someone who was injured or killed due to "distracted driving". Deaths, injuries, insurance rates, etc etc. are all on the rise due to the "distracted driving" trap that people fall into.

Even at 30 mph our cars travel 44 feet each second. To say that you only looked at your phone for a split second isn't believable, nobody does that BUT, if they do, even for 1/2 second, that's still 22 feet in 1/2 second!

Just my 2 cents............

While in concept I agree. How does it differentiate that you are driving the vehicle and thus should have reduced functionality vs you are a passenger and should have normal functionality? Or would you want passengers to also have reduced functionality?

[MR645]

Glad the car worked, but do the world a favor and stop driving, save lives, use Uber.

[mikesierra]

Originally Posted by MR645

Glad the car worked, but do the world a favor and stop driving, save lives, use Uber.

Of course, I have just put my car on Ebay.

The reason I shared this was I needed some patronization in my life. And I am sure, you yourself are the role model for safe driving courses instructors.

[satz]

so does the Red symbol and beeping mean that the car is about to auto-brake?
I always thought it was a warning to me that, when using ACC, it couldn't slow down in time because the car in front suddenly stopped, or there's suddenly a stationary car in front (like at red lights)

[mikesierra]

Originally Posted by satz

so does the Red symbol and beeping mean that the car is about to auto-brake?
I always thought it was a warning to me that, when using ACC, it couldn't slow down in time because the car in front suddenly stopped, or there's suddenly a stationary car in front (like at red lights)

Apparently it does.

My settings were set to early.

[lambmw]

Originally Posted by satz

so does the Red symbol and beeping mean that the car is about to auto-brake?
I always thought it was a warning to me that, when using ACC, it couldn't slow down in time because the car in front suddenly stopped, or there's suddenly a stationary car in front (like at red lights)

Interesting.. on my recent road trip there were a few instances when these red symbols would appear if I was shooting the gap between a car loitering in the passing lane that was matching the speed with a car in the right lane for 10 or so minutes (terrible habit of US drivers). When shooting that gap, that warning symbol came on but no auto braking commenced. I have all my safety alerts set to the shortest distance.. I have not relied on technology to drive my cars before.. dont plan to rely on them now to do my driving.. Be hyper aware and dont allow yourself get into bad situations, anticipate poor road conditions that could come your way.

[Alias1431]

You can change the settings. I have mine set to never auto-brake and only alert with the shortest safety buffer.

[X3M40i_Nev]

Originally Posted by mikesierra

Of course, I have just put my car on Ebay.

The reason I shared this was I needed some patronization in my life. And I am sure, you yourself are the role model for safe driving courses instructors.

Originally Posted by mikesierra

Of course, I have just put my car on Ebay.

The reason I shared this was I needed some patronization in my life. And I am sure, you yourself are the role model for safe driving courses instructors.

Brilliant comeback 👍 As you said we all do stupid things, and luckily you got away with this one and probably learned from it ☝️

[MR645]

Originally Posted by mikesierra

Of course, I have just put my car on Ebay.

The reason I shared this was I needed some patronization in my life. And I am sure, you yourself are the role model for safe driving courses instructors.

Sorry, but I have a child living with life long back pain because another driver was "distracted" when my daughter slowed due to a huge pothole in the road, slammed into her Honda at 60 mph while she was moving 25 mph and slowing. She is even advised if she decides to have a child, expect around 4 months in bed due to back problems.
The drivers excuse was "I only looked down at my phone for a split second"

[AZM40i]

Originally Posted by mikesierra

First off, the entire incident was my fault.

I was driving on the local free way and may have been overspending a bit. I received a text and for a split second glanced at my smart watch, only to hear a loud beep as the car stopped. Looking up, I first noticed a red car sign on the HUD and then saw what prompted the car to brake hard.

A cop had pulled over another car, causing the entire traffic to stop suddenly. While there was a few feet gap between my car and the car right in front, the second car in front of me had to get off on to the roads shoulder to avoid a collision.

My eyes must have been off the road for less than 3 seconds, but at 80 mph, that obviously was a bit too much.

Again, this was all my fault, but if the car hadn't done what it did, I would likely not be a living member of this forum.

Cheers to safety technology!

First thing is that person should not have pulled over on the left side of the freeway. You are supposed to pull over to the right side of the freeway to avoid those dangerous situations. Even if you are driving in the carpool lane.

I am glad you are OK. Back in 2018, before we got our first X3, we were renting one for a family road trip. My wife was driving through the neighborhood and some kid came speeding through a corner, in my wife's lane. The car slammed on the brakes, stopping the car and avoiding a collision.

Another time I was driving. My wife and son were in the car with me. In the right lane. A freeway exit had the option to merge into my lane. The person decided to hop in without looking at us. Not even once. They had a passenger with them. They didn't even look. It happened so fast. I slammed the brakes so hard that it felt like the back end was about to come off the ground. I think the car may have taken over at that point? Either way... Yet again, in a situation out of my control, paying full attention, the car prevented an accident from happening.

Those were both in a rental. Only a few weeks after returning the rental we got our first X3. We are on our second one now. Our M40i is so fun to drive. It turns me into a little kid every time I drive it. But there is more to it than fun. There is more to a 65k automobile than fun. When you have something to lose, it is worth it.

We all need to be safe drivers. But the fact is. Everyone isn't. Having a car that can help you in a dangerous situation is huge. You can be doing everything right and still get hit. My wife was hit by a drunk driver years ago. Doing nothing wrong. I was following in the car behind her. I will never forget it. Dude blatantly turned in front of her and almost flipped her car. Her car caught fire. It was horrible. She was/is ok. But the point is, she was doing everything right and someone else's decision caused an accident. If she were driving our BMW at the time, the car may have stopped for her. If it didn't stop for her, she would have been much safer in the BMW than the Saturn she was driving in college.

Again, I am glad you are OK.

[Juris]

I don't think I have this ACC. I only have Driver's Assistance and Premium Package. Can it be added?

[mikesierra]

Originally Posted by MR645

Sorry, but I have a child living with life long back pain because another driver was "distracted" when my daughter slowed due to a huge pothole in the road, slammed into her Honda at 60 mph while she was moving 25 mph and slowing. She is even advised if she decides to have a child, expect around 4 months in bed due to back problems.
The drivers excuse was "I only looked down at my phone for a split second"

I am sorry about your daughter. I truly am.

But still, I don't see that as a legitimate reason to pass sweeping judgements on people and incidents that you barely know about.

I work in a field where mistakes can cost limb or lives. However, we try not to focus on assigning blame, but on making sure that we gain as much as possible from these "opportunities" to improve.

That is the reason that I shared this incident. And the fact that I am really glad that the car did what it did, otherwise if I had lived, it may have been with worse regret. The safety tech is not a substitute for our responsibility as a driver. But it is a form of safety net for factors out of our control and occasionally even our lapses.

Even if I did not look at my watch (and the fact is that I did), I still probably may not have stopped completely in time on the left lane of a free way at that speed when the traffic in the front stopped abruptly.

I am sorry for your daughter and wish her the best. I still don't know you and do not owe you any explanations.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by lambmw

Interesting.. on my recent road trip there were a few instances when these red symbols would appear if I was shooting the gap between a car loitering in the passing lane that was matching the speed with a car in the right lane for 10 or so minutes (terrible habit of US drivers). When shooting that gap, that warning symbol came on but no auto braking commenced. I have all my safety alerts set to the shortest distance.. I have not relied on technology to drive my cars before.. dont plan to rely on them now to do my driving.. Be hyper aware and dont allow yourself get into bad situations, anticipate poor road conditions that could come your way.

The car isn’t doing your driving. These features are all about collision avoidance and injury reduction when avoidance isn’t possible. The car uses the radar and windshield cameras to monitor traffic making it extremely accurate. My 530e sits lower than an X3, but I have encountered the car giving me alerts when the car in front of the car in front of me brakes hard before the car in front of me even touches their brakes!

BMW is a driver’s brand. They aren’t focusing on driver replacement. Just on augmentation. Don’t be so quick to dismiss these features. They can save your life in a pinch.

Stay safe and stay vigilant.

[spangle1980]

I believe the salient message on this thread is that

(a) people realise the errors of their ways
(b) this is a clear example of BMW technology probably saving a life or two, which is a good thing right?

I'm pretty sure the OP realises what happened, and it's great that a message is sent thus we can learn - I'm sure a good proportion of us have, at some point, erred.

[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

My 530e sits lower than an X3, but I have encountered the car giving me alerts when the car in front of the car in front of me brakes hard before the car in front of me even touches their brakes!

I drive an older X3, it has none of this type of collision avoidance technology - your statement caught my eye, is this technology really so good that it can in fact reliably alert you to the movement of vehicles beyond the car immediately in front (or along side/behind) you?
Thanks/Bill