30 years of BMW Driver Training. Responsibility and safety with tradition.

Munich. 30 years of BMW Driver Training represents 30 years with
proactive mediation of safety and sovereignty at the steering wheel:
The BMW Group is celebrating this big anniversary in a birthday
celebration held at the Driver Training Centre at Munich Airport on 16
May 2007. The actual "birthday" of BMW Driver Training was in
fact 22 April 1977. This was the date when drivers carried out the
first training manoeuvres in a BMW 320i. BMW was one of the first
automobile manufacturers to offer customers the opportunity of
optimising their know-how at the steering wheel. Dr. Klaus Draeger,
Member of the Board of Management at BMW AG, commented: "Even
three decades ago, the BMW Group recognised that developing sporty and
dynamic automobiles wasn't the only part of the equation. As a company
keenly aware of its responsibility, our aim was also to promote driving
skills on the road." Today, the concept of BMW Group Driving
Experience covers BMW Driver Training, MINI Driver Training and BMW
Motorrad Rider Training. The fleet of vehicles has increased to more
than 250 cars and 100 motorcycles for all kinds of programmes and
activities. In 2006, some 1,000 events took place in Germany alone, with
approximately 18,000 drivers and riders taking part. Since 1977 more
than 200,000 participants have gained superior skills in training
sessions on tracks and circuits closed to the public, subsequently
benefiting from these skills through their greater confidence at the
wheel and extra safety in everyday traffic. Competent instructors The
BMW Group Driving Experience has therefore become a symbol for a wide
range of driver and rider courses benefiting a whole range of
participants - from the beginner all the way to the "old
hand". The BMW Group Driving Experience stands for systematic
training based on the latest know-how in driving skills and research,
with individual, personalised support provided by more than 120
competent instructors. They include seasoned test drivers, experienced
engineers and highly knowledgeable vehicle development specialists whose
technical and instructional skills are often complemented by many years
of experience in motor sport. Rally legend Rauno Aaltonen from Finland
was appointed the first Chief Instructor at BMW Driver Training in
January 1977. Since then the team has derived continuous benefit from
the experience of professional racing drivers like Marc Surer and
Claudia Hürtgen. Always ahead of time Just like the automobiles
and motorcycles produced by the BMW Group, the training programmes are
also continually undergoing development. Driver assistance systems that
support the driver in masterful control of the vehicles were unknown 30
years ago. Today, important functions like the anti-lock brake system
(ABS) and Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) play a key role in the
training schedule. Other fundamental features have remained unchanged
throughout the last three decades. The aim of every training activity
remains to impart good theoretical understanding and appreciation of
technical parameters and the physical principles underlying driving
skills, to convert this theoretical knowledge into practical exercises
and hence to ensure greater supremacy in handling complex driving
situations at the wheel or in the saddle. How does my seating position
and the way I hold the steering wheel influence my control of my car?
Why do cars with front-wheel drive behave differently in dynamic
situations to cars with rear-wheel drive? How does the intelligent
shift of weight on a motorcycle affect my position in a bend? The
participant considering questions of this kind in theory and then
implementing what he or she has learnt in practice has everything it
takes to recognise potential hazards in everyday traffic and to avoid
or master possible risks. Focus on people 95 percent of all accidents
have a human cause. Investigations also demonstrate that everybody has
been involved in an average of nine accidents during their driving
career. They are involved in an accident every five years. Every driver
is the cause of an accident every nine years. BMW Driver Training
addresses this issue and aims to empower car drivers to optimise their
own reaction in critical situations. The focus of training in these
situations is always on the individual. In the interplay between
safety and assistance systems, driver training programmes are always
directed towards participants increasing their own safety and the level
of safety of other road users. Driver Training provides a clear benefit
for the individual and the community as a whole. The Head of the BMW
Group Driving Experience, Frank Isenberg, explains: "We have
learnt from lots of personal letters that participants in our training
sessions have been able to avoid accidents as a result of the skills
they have learnt. Assuming that each participant in a driver safety
training session would be involved in only one fewer accident during
his or her driving career, this would represent a very tangible
gain." Fit for the future BMW Group Driving Experience will
continue to be proactive in adopting innovations and trends in vehicle
development. The latest example in this context is the BMW TrackTrainer
which has been supporting participants in finding the ideal line on
racing tracks since 2007. The vehicles equipped with this system first
demonstrate the ideal line independently. In the next stage,
participants receive feedback on their own attempts. Apart from safety
and sovereignty at the wheel, the awareness of fuel-efficient driving
also plays an important role in the programme of the BMW Group Driving
Experience. The BMW Group has been offering a training course in
fuel-efficient driving since 1999. The basic elements of this BMW
Economy Training will be integrated in all other training over the
medium term. This means that the company is focusing even more
intensively on the fact that up to 20 percent of fuel consumption can
be influenced by driving style.