What BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine safety features can and cannot do against bullets

Discussion on the safety of luxury cars has begun after reports of firing on the car of Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff. Attention is turning to features of the BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine such as chassis construction, safety glass, crash sensors and tyre technology. But one important point must be understood: there is a big difference between the safety features of an ordinary BMW and the protection of a purpose-built bulletproof car. It cannot be concluded that regular safety glass or a strong body will stop bullets.

BMW is a German luxury carmaker. It uses modern engineering and several safety systems in its vehicles to protect occupants. The BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine is fitted with body structure, airbags, electronic safety systems and braking technology depending on the model. Exactly which features the car in question has depends on the variant and equipment.

The first feature is high-strength steel and a strong body structure. The bodies of modern BMW cars use higher-strength steel and other lightweight materials. The main aim of this construction is to protect the passenger cabin in an accident and to absorb the energy of impact in a controlled way. Even so, a strong chassis does not mean bulletproof protection. The effect can vary with the type of bullet, its speed, the angle of impact and the vehicle's material. It is therefore wrong to assume that the body of an ordinary car can stop bullets.

The second feature is laminated safety glass, which is generally used in a car's front windscreen. It has a plastic layer such as PVB, or polyvinyl butyral, between two layers of glass. If the glass breaks in an accident, fewer fragments scatter and they stay stuck to the inner layer. That is the main benefit of this technology. But laminated safety glass is not bulletproof glass. Stopping bullets requires glass built and tested to specific ballistic standards. It is also not necessarily the case that all the windows of a car have the same kind of glass.

The third feature is crash sensors and an emergency call system. In modern vehicles, crash sensors and airbag control units help detect the jolt of an accident and activate the relevant safety systems. Some models also have a facility to call for emergency help after an accident. But it cannot be said that these sensors will activate every time in a shooting, or that the fuel supply will cut off automatically. This depends on the vehicle's systems, the nature of the impact and the facilities present.

The fourth feature is run-flat tyre technology. Some BMW models or variants come with run-flat tyres. These are built so that the vehicle can be driven for a limited distance even after air pressure drops. After a puncture, this can help in reaching a safe place. But it is not the case that every BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine has run-flat tyres. How far and how fast the car can run after losing air depends on the tyre maker's instructions and actual conditions.

So is a BMW bulletproof? The BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine is generally a luxury sedan. Unless it has a special armoured version or separately certified ballistic protection, it cannot be considered a bulletproof car. Ordinary safety features and special anti-bullet technology serve different purposes.

Therefore, in the incident involving Tiger Shroff's car, it would not be right to draw any conclusion about which technology worked without official confirmation. The discussion has, however, again highlighted how important it is to look at body structure, airbags, the braking system and other certified safety features when buying a car.