Day two of the Infiniti M media launch and off to Vallelunga circuit to test some of the technical wizardry, dubbed Dynamic Safety Shield, on the M.

We tested four innovations: blind spot intervention, 4WAS and forward collision warning and intelligent brake assist.

Drive alongside another car and the M alerts you visually and audibly to its presence – blind spot intervention. Ignore the warning and attempt to steer (by mistake of course) into the car’s path and the M intervenes by selective braking on one side of the car to bring it back into lane.

4WAS – four-wheel drive – means the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front two, by around one degree. It doesn’t sound much but it makes a big difference. Slaloming around a line of cones and the car feels more balanced and poised. It hugs the cones at the restricted 65kph with very little body roll in comparison to the two-wheel drive version which swings much wider.

Both of these are useful, though far from essential initiatives. Arguably the one safety feature that is worth considering is the forward collision warning and intelligent brake assist.

With so many low speed front-rear shunts, this technology could dramatically reduce accident rates. On the test we followed another car which gently braked in front of us.

Take no action and the driver gets an audible and visual warning to the potential collision. If the driver still doesn’t respond, the car will apply the brakes at up to 30% of full pressure to slow the car down.

If the car in front stops, and the M is travelling at less than 50kph, the intelligent brake assist will bring the car to a complete standstill. At higher speeds it won’t stop the car, but brake application will mitigate the severity of the impact – the driver, however, still has to take action.

There’s no doubting the benefit of this technology, although for fleets, the question is whether this option, wrapped up in the Premium version’s £5,350 Dynamic Safety Shield package, will pay for itself, either in lower accident repair costs or lower human cost.