Vehicle safety has always been a matter of the highest priority for Mercedes-Benz, and the company continues its commitment to bring about innovations designed to mitigate the severity of collisions or prevent them from occurring at all. Accident-free driving ranks as one of the most important objectives that Mercedes-Benz is working to fulfil. In addition, Mercedes-Benz safety philosophy “The first priority is to prevent accidents. Should that fail, the aim is to mitigate the consequences” is an important key of our work approach towards advancements in the invention, development and creation of safety innovations.
The evolution of Mercedes-Benz’s exemplary safety began in the late 1930s when B?la Bar?nyi, who is regarded as a pioneer of vehicle safety, invented and developed a range of revolutionary safety systems. A driving safety milestone was reached in 1931 with the 170 model, the first ever production passenger car to combine independent suspension at the front and rear with a hydraulic braking system. In 1958, Mercedes-Benz began its programme of systematic crash testing, which provided a vital foundation for the development of safety technology. Later, the Mercedes-Benz 220, 220 S and 220 SE “Fintail” models brought out in 1959 went down in automotive history as the first series-production cars in the world to include integral crumple zones and a high-strength passenger compartment. All these innovations are regarded as principal concepts of safety technology development.
Since 1966, the key objective of Mercedes-Benz’s safety technology development was not just to protecting the passengers, but also to minimise the risk of injury to other road users with effective safety technologies from Mercedes-Benz. Three-point seat belts provided additional protection for occupants from 1969. In 1971, the enhanced integral safety concept of the new 350 SL heralded the introduction into series production of the crash-protected fuel tank that could endure impacts and thus reduced the risk of consequential dangers, such as fuel leakage and explosion.
Whereas passive safety—protecting the vehicle occupants as best possible in the event of an accident—was initially at the centre of attention of the time before and during the 1970s, the period from the end of the 1970s was marked by a string of assistance systems that came under the heading of active safety to protect the occupants by preventing accidents from occurring. The ABS anti-lock braking system made its production debut in 1978 in the 116-series S-Class. Later, the driver’s airbag was made available for the first time in the S-Class Saloon and Coup? models (126 series). Both safety innovations have already become the industry standards for all cars today.
After the invention of Electronic Stability Program ESP in 1995, the proportion of road accidents involving newly registered Mercedes-Benz passenger cars dropped by over 42%. When the vehicle is on the verge of tail-skidding in bends, this system initiates corrective braking at individual wheels to counter the danger. The Electronic Stability Program ESP made its debut in the S 600 Coupe as the world first, and became established as a worldwide safety standard within the space of a few years. It demonstrated once more how Mercedes-Benz, in its role as a safety pioneer, was capable of bringing crucial innovations to market time and time again to set the standard for the entire automotive industry. Mercedes-Benz set yet another milestone in 2002 when it premiered a revolutionary new anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE in the 220-series S-Class. With the fusion of active and passive safety, this multi-award-winning technology reacts with lightning speed to messages received from the Electronic Stability Program ESP and Brake Assist (BAS) sensors. PRE-SAFE pulls the seat belts taut in an instant and repositions the front passenger seat if necessary in order to secure the occupants in the best possible position for their safety. The sunroof closes automatically too so that the vehicle’s structure can provide optimum protection if it rolls over.
Mercedes-Benz further extends its lead in the field of safety with the integral safety concept that is applied at Mercedes-Benz today. Since 1997, LINGUATRONIC has allowed voice control of the telephone, audio and navigation systems, meaning the hands can stay on the steering wheel. The DISTRONIC system employs a radar sensor and a high-performance computer to keep at a constant distance from the vehicle ahead. At the same time, the Intelligent Light System provides better driving vision at night by adapting the headlamp to the driving situations and weather conditions while ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection system analyses over 70 different parameters throughout the journey to detect when drivers are becoming drowsy and alert them before they fall into a dangerous microsleep.
As these key milestones provided a solid proof of Mercedes-Benz’s commitment and accident-free driving remains an ambitious goal for the future, the ongoing challenge for Mercedes-Benz will always be to make the next generation of vehicles safer than the last, while also reacting to the evolution of the motor car and to changes on our roads. Over the past 125 years, Mercedes-Benz has made a clear statement that its name is not only synonymous with driving comfort, but also leadership in driving safety. This is evident in how the company’s safety innovations have become industry standards for all cars today, the origin of a saying “Mercedes-Benz is found in every car”.
For further press details please contact:
Communications Department, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Ltd.
Komkrit, Yaowaret, Siriporn at tel. 02 614-8810-12
or PR Agency, Verve
Porntipa, Benjaphorn at tel. 02 204 8078, 02 204 8551
Press information about Mercedes-Benz can be downloaded from www.mercedes-benz.co.th
Photos:
Bela Barenyi, the person who laid the foundation of safety for Mercedes-Benz vehicles
Mercedes 170 model, the first production passenger car to combine independent suspension at the front and rear with a hydraulic braking system
Mercedes-Benz 220 SE “Fintail” model, the first series-production car in the world to include integral crumple zones
Mercedes-Benz 350 SL Roadster is hailed as the car optimized with integral safety concept to prevent accidents and protect the occupants.
The ABS anti-lock braking system made its production debut in 1978 in the 116-series S-Class