Firm looks into the future of car safety

Mercedes-Benz is developing intelligent driver assistance systems that use stereo cameras and radar sensors to monitor the area surrounding the vehicle to add to its impressive successes as the trendsetter in occupant protection.

These systems have the ability to make predictive interpretations of critical driving situations and then warn drivers or even intervene if there is imminent danger.
“Several years ago, Mercedes-Benz introduced PRE-SAFE®, which gave the vehicle certain ‘reflexes’, so to speak,” said Johannes Fritz, director, sales and marketing, Mercedes Car Group, Middle East.
“In the future, we will also give cars the ability to ‘see’ and ‘think’. It’s always been a matter of policy to develop vehicles capable of withstanding the most severe crash tests.
“However, it makes much more sense to prevent accidents from occurring in the first place which is exactly what Mercedes-Benz is working on in the interest of all traffic participants.”
Mercedes-Benz will continue to base the development of its safety systems on real-life accident statistics and data from its own accident research activities.
Other issues to be addressed in the development of new driver assistance systems include driver fatigue, speed, and lane departure, all of which are also among the most frequent causes of accidents. Mercedes-Benz will also further improve occupant protection through preventive measures and by networking active and passive safety systems.
Systems developed by Mercedes-Benz have been helping to improve road safety for many years. The invention of ESP® alone, which reduces the danger of skidding and makes it easier for drivers to handle critical situations, has led to a sustained improvement in traffic safety.
The most recent German accident statistics confirm that since ESP was introduced as standard equipment, Mercedes-Benz passenger cars have been involved much less frequently in accidents than models of other brands.
The Electronic Stability Program has now joined seatbelts, airbags, and ABS as one of the most important safety systems in modern passenger cars. Still, only around 40 per cent of all new cars in are currently equipped with this technology.
Another video-based Mercedes assistance system will remind drivers in the future to obey speed limits by ‘reading’ traffic signs and transmitting their images to a cockpit display in the vehicle. This technology will be used further down the line to also register stop signs and traffic lights.