Aside from being a leader in luxury and a preeminent status symbol brand, Mercedes-Benz is known for pushing the boundaries on safety and technology. To that end, the accident sensing Mercedes-Benz Pre-Safe system prepares the occupant compartment by optimizing passenger safety in the moments preceding a collision or single-car crash, including a rollover event.
Pre-Safe employs a series of sensors to detect instabilities caused by sudden braking or steering that would upset the balance of a vehicle. The radar-based sensors also detect approaching vehicles on a potential collision course with a Mercedes. Multiple versions of Pre-Safe are available, and they are standard or optional, depending on the model and equipment.
Upon detecting a potential crash situation, the Pre-Safe system immediately responds with a series of measures to elevate passenger protection. This action includes the tightening of front seatbelts and the repositioning of headrests and seats to help mitigate trauma. Pre-Safe will also attempt to close the windows and sunroof before a collision, which helps to minimize exterior debris from entering the vehicle at high speeds and causing further injury. It also helps prevent an occupant from ejection during a collision.
In addition, the system can also initiate full autonomous braking if it detects a collision with an object ahead. The Pre-Safe Brake feature works in tandem with Distronic Plus, Mercedes-Benz’s adaptive cruise control system, to avoid a collision or reduce the severity of an impact. This function is especially useful when traffic ahead suddenly stops.
Pre-Safe technology offers additional safety measures through Pre-Safe Plus to reduce the effects of a rear-impact crash, Pre-Safe Impulse Side to protect passengers in a lateral collision, and Pre-Safe Sound to protect occupants’ hearing during a crash.
Pre-Safe Plus helps prevent rear collisions or lessens the effects of these kinds of crashes. If the car’s rear radar detects a potential rear-end collision, Pre-Safe Plus rapidly flashes the rear hazard warning lights to warn the driver approaching from behind to slow down or stop.
In the moments before a sensed collision, the system also activates the reversible belt tensioners while moving the seat backrests to an upright position. And if the vehicle is stationary in a rear collision situation, such as when resting at a stoplight, the system will increase the braking force, holding the car as securely as possible to prevent or lessen a secondary crash with the vehicle ahead.
Pre-Safe Impulse Side evaluates information from the front and side radar systems to detect an imminent lateral impact. Before the side impact occurs, this system protects the occupant sitting in the front seat on the side of the collision by instantaneously inflating an air chamber on the outer side bolster of the seat. This action pushes the occupant toward the middle of the vehicle’s cabin and away from the side of the car. As it increases this distance between the occupant and the door, it potentially reduces the force of the impact on the human body, lessening the severity of injuries.
This innovative feature of the Pre-Safe system activates a protective mechanism of the human ear by playing a short noise signal through the stereo speakers when a potential accident is detected. The ear’s natural reflex to this sound protects it from the noise pressure and high decibels caused by a collision, which can otherwise injure the ear and affect your hearing.
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