Safety First: How BMW Gesture Control Works to Keep You Safer on the Road

Distracted driving is a problem all across the United States.

And California is no exception.

In California, due to the various problems caused by distracted driving you no longer can use a cell phone or any electronic communication device while holding it in your hand, according to state law.

In fact, you can only use such a device in a hands-free manner. Think speaker phone or voice commands. Any driver under the age of 18 is prohibited from using a cell phone for any reason.

BMW has been ahead of the curve when it comes to addressing distracted driving.

For many years BMW Gesture Control has been all about helping you, the driver, be less distracted behind the wheel.

When decisions need to be made on the spur of the moment simple hand gestures perform various actions in your BMW without you needing to take your eyes off the road. 

No need to become distracted operating dials and buttons. 

Safety always comes first, after all.

Gesture Control is an innovative technology designed to make both you, the driver, and your passengers feel safe.

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So how does it work? Let’s take a look at a sample of the Gesture Control Hand Gestures from BMW:

• Accept a Call – Point to the BMW iDrive Touchscreen
• Reject a Call – Swipe Your Hand to the Right 
• Turn the Volume Up – Circle Your Finger Clockwise 
• Turn the Volume Down – Circle Your Finger Counter-Clockwise 
• Change Rearview Camera Angle –Create a Circle with Your Thumb and Forefinger 
• Select Navigation/Custom Setting – Point to the Touchscreen with Two Fingers  

By using BMW Gesture Control, drivers can control certain iDrive functions using hand gestures that are captured by a 3D camera. 

By gesturing – or making simple moves with your hand – the driver can decline a phone call, turn down the music, input navigation destinations, or even change the angle in the 360-degree view of the vehicle. 

BMW’s gesture control technology allows you to safely interact with the iDrive system while remaining focused and free of stress. Plus it’s fun!

But you might be wondering which models that you can buy from us have BMW Gesture Control.

Gesture control can be found in just about every BMW with Operating System 7.0, which supports the newest MGU head unit. That’s because iDrive consists of the MGU hardware (Media Graphics Unit) running the 7th generation of iDrive called BMW Operating System 7.0.

Two Live Cockpit configurations are available in BMWs: Live Cockpit Plus and Live Cockpit Professional. The BMW Live Cockpit Plus system uses a hybrid analog/digital instrument cluster with a 5.7-inch Driver’s Information Display and an 8.8-inch main display.

In the BMW Live Cockpit Professional System, these are upgraded to a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch main display.

IDrive 7.0 is available on the following BMW models:

Interested in purchasing a new BMW that’s equipped with BMW Gesture Control technology? Check out our latest inventory below.