Also the obscuration of everything from the pedestrian. When walking, if you have a car coming upfront it's there for a long while (since it might be fast but you're always slow), and at night your night vision goes away for a very, very long time. Having to stop, close your eyes and turn around every time you hear a car closing in does not make for efficient or fun walking about.
That may explain the deer in the headlights phenomenon, if real. They could be waiting for their eyes to readjust. Agree that this feature would be undesirable for pedestrians (and cyclists, if also targeted). And I suspect the spotlight is unlikely to avert any more than a small number of accidents. However, it seems quite a strong sales feature for BMW - enhancing the driver/owner's sense of control.
I was under the impression that deer freeze whenever they feel threatened by anything. Freezing when spotlighted is just a particular case of how deer always react to threats.
