BMW 1 Series receives 5 star safety rating

The current Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) testing determines the risk of injury as a result of several different scenarios. These tests include, a frontal impact, side impact collision and a so-called side-impact pole crash. In all scenarios and tests the new BMW 1 Series provided both driver and passengers with extensive protection from injury, regardless of their height or seating position. It offers excellent protection on both the front impact and the side impact tests.

An important worry for parents is always safety for their children. The BMW 1 Series scores high not only for adults, but for children as well. It offers excellent protection on both the front impact and the side impact tests. The cars has seat systems for children 1 ½ – 3 years old. When tested with dummies, which are fitted with sensors to measure the force of impact, the sensors registered stable positioning and little head movement at the moment of a collision. Meaning the injury from a real life car accident would be minimal.

The occupant protection in the new BMW 1 Series is the result of an integrated safety concept which includes not just an extremely torsionally stiff passenger cell but also large-format deformation zones and precisely defined bearing structures to absorb and dissipate the forces which take effect when a collision occurs.

The new BMW 1 Series comes standard with front airbags, side airbags integrated in the backrests, head airbags for the front and back seats, three-point automatic seatbelts on all seats, belt force limiters and belt tensioners at the front and ISOFIX children's seat attachments at the rear. It also features the driving stability system DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) and a Run Flat Indicator for tires.

The Euro NCAP crash test attaches particular importance to pedestrian protection, and this has been optimized in the new BMW 1 Series by such elements as selectively modeled body elements with yielding structures on the front of the vehicle. The NCAP testers place particular importance on the design of front bumpers, as well as for those elements of the front of a vehicle. These areas are the greatest risk of head injury to small children in the event of a collision.

Among other things, the new BMW 1 Series can be fitted with the extended emergency call function, the BMW Assist Advanced eCall, which is part of the BMW ConnectedDrive service. It also includes automatic position finding and accident severity identification. BMW received another award for this safety feature, the special Euro NCAP Advanced Award a year ago.

The Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) is recognized throughout Europe by governments, automobile clubs and consumer organizations as a benchmark of vehicle accident safety. The BMW 1 Series was also awarded 5 stars in 2004. Since then the demands of the Euro NCAP have been raised significantly with the introduction of new test criteria. Since the extension of the test program in 2009, all BMW models to have undergone the Euro NCAP crash test have scored the top rating. So following the BMW X1, the BMW 5 Series and the BMW X3, the new BMW 1 Series is the brand's fourth new model to emerge from the revised, much more demanding test with a result of 5 stars.

Please contact Adam Yamada-Hanff at – [email protected] – for comments, questions, or topics. You can also follow him on Twitter @AdamsAutoAdvice

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