The safety of other road users is optional on BMW cars, with the carmaker charging buyers for a system designed to prevent serious traffic accidents.
Although it prides itself on the power and efficiency of headlights installed on cars, BMW has turned an essential safety system into an optional equipment, designed to prevent other road users from being blinded by the selective dimming of the lighting.
What is really outrageous is that the High Beam Assistant function, available for over 10 years on BMW cars, is added anyway for the models that mentioned it on the list of optional features, but it is deactivated by software. In addition, buyers of BMW cars should pay for the activation of a safety system that is not directly addressed to them and which may reduce the coverage of headlights in certain situations.
Available in both Xenon or LED headlights, the High Beam Assistant option ensures automatic switching between low beam and high beam, based on traffic conditions. For example, if the headlights are switched to High mode, the intensity will be temporarily switched to Low mode as soon as the headlights of another car are detected coming in the opposite direction. Depending on the model, only the light projection in the direction of the vehicle may be selectively darkened, keeping the road lighting at maximum intensity.
Activated by software and after the purchase of the vehicle, the High Beam Assistant function costs BMW car owners 176 euros, an insignificant amount if we refer to the total cost of the vehicle. But too few BMW car owners are motivated to operate it at their own expense, only out of consideration for other road users.
