What a great idea! It will be interesting to see how this functions in the real world…

As BMW works to bring electric cars to market, the company is also testing a new feature to avert motorcycle crashes.

The company is testing a new system called “Left Turn Assistant” that would trigger the driver’s brakes when it detects an oncoming vehicle.

The system uses three laser scanners at the front of the car to detect oncoming vehicles in the opposite lanes and automatically activate the brakes during close calls. To ensure that the braking doesn’t bring the car to a dangerously abrupt stop, the system will only work when the car is traveling at speeds under 10 kilometers per hour, or about 6.2 mph.

The Left Turn Assistant technology is still in test mode on BMW 5 Series cars. Getting clipped in a left turn is one of the leading causes of motorcycle fatalities, the manufacturer says.

Original Post: BMW car sensor may reduce ‘left turn’ motorcycle crashes – Dealernews