BMW have a track record in on-road safety features, now they have partnered with Claas in what they claim is a breakthrough in road safety for agricultural regions.
The innovation is known as the Large Vehicle Alert system (LVAS).
Claas claim LVAS will transmit real-time telemetry data of enabled farm machinery to navigation systems and smartphone apps of other road users.
The purpose is to warn motorists of the location of farm machinery along their route as well as suggest alternative routes if required.
The LVAS is based on the telematics remote monitoring technology used in Claas headers and tractors.
This data is then sent to participating car and navigation system manufacturers, and in turn, to the assistance/navigation systems or app devices connected to those services, Claas said.
The system is not limited to Claas, it said, as other brands of tractors or machinery can be integrated into the system using a smartphone app.
In terms of privacy, Claas said all data is anonymous and is transmitted only if the operator has activated the service.
The system was awarded a Silver Medal for innovation at Agritechnica, Germany.
The German Agricultural Society (DLG) said agricultural vehicles in road traffic generally have a bad reputation among non-agricultural road users, particularly in countries with narrow roads or hilly terrain.
The DLG said notifying the population proactively would enable accident prevention as well as improved acceptance of sharing the road with large machines.