front and back these lamps illuminate your hands and controls you're going to touch. thing is that since most of the time one is driving in the city with a lot of lighting they aren't very useful. but get out to the countryside and they are very handy since it's so dark.
when you reach out to touch a control you can see your hand. try touching something in total darkness, not as easy as you think. and at speed, every split-second counts.

this is just another example of the beautifully thought out ergonomics of BMW.