In the new BMW 5 Series, your eyes are the indicator

BMW proudly announces the scoop in the press release announcing the new BMW 5 Series and BMW i5. To access the feature, customers must order the Driving Assistant Professional package. In countries such as the United States, Canada and home country Germany, this package also includes the 'Highway Assistant'.

This system allows drivers up to speeds of 130 km/h to take their hands off the wheel as long as they keep their eyes on the road ahead. To top it all off, the system also includes Active Lane Change Assistant - or the technique that allows you to change lanes by looking left or right.

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This is how the Active Lane Change Assistant works

That works as follows. The 5 Series makes the suggestion to the driver to change lanes. The car does this, for example, if it notices that the vehicle in front is slowing down. The driver can confirm this suggested action by looking at the wing mirror of the direction the car wants to go. The car then automatically steers to the desired lane. In addition, the 5-series naturally checks whether this is possible by monitoring traffic with the countless sensors on board.

Camera behind the wheel

The new 5 Series has a camera mounted behind the wheel that constantly monitors the driver. This camera is not only used for this system, but also checks whether the driver is keeping his/her eyes on the road. If this is not the case, the car will warn the driver with signals. This interference can also be useful: as soon as the camera detects that the driver is not conscious, the car pulls itself to the side in a safe place and the hazard lights are switched on.