Safety F.I.R.S.T from BMW. Fully Integrated Road Safety Technology (F.I.R.S.T.) is a comprehensive and integrated approach to design and engineering for optimum safety systems in three parts: 

• Active Safety that helps you steer clear of hazards, 
• Passive Safety that protects you from certain kinds of collisions, and 
• Protection to minimize the impact on other road users and the vehicle itself. 

"This first of its kind head protection system from BMW demonstrates what can be done to protect people in serious side impacts."   Brian O'Neill, AIIHS

BMW was the first car manufacturer in the world to offer head airbags. Now, BMW has taken the next step by offering "intelligent" front airbags. The intelligent airbag system, called Dual Stage Deployment, inflates the two front airbags in stages, depending on the severity of the impact. This gradual deployment of the vehicle's airbags minimizes the risk of being hurt by the opening of the airbag in a collision. Intelligent airbags are standard equipment on all 3, 5 and 7 Series BMW models.

Buckle Up for Safety

On 19 June 1999, the Safe Car of the Millennium Award was presented to BMW. 

Citing BMW's Head Protection System (HPS) as a Major Achievement, the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) praised HPS as a safety engineering advance that can help reduce the risk of brain injury in the event of a severe side impact.

This is the first ever award given by the IBIA to recognize an automobile manufacturer's contribution to the prevention of head injuries.

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