Virtually no other area inspires Mercedes-Benz engineers more than researching new safety technologies. They passed their first key safety milestone as early as the 1950s with the development of the passenger safety cell, invented by Béla Barényi. Today it is one of numerous elements of an integrated safety concept that edges Mercedes-Benz vehicles closer to our vision of accident-free driving.
Most accidents start long before the actual collision: with a lapse in concentration, poor visibility or an unanticipated hazard. So we have fitted the C-Class Estate with innovative safety and assistance systems which promote relaxed motoring and help the driver to bring critical situations under control.
The PRE-SAFE® occupant protection system can detect critical handling situations and if necessary preventively activate reversible safety systems which help to reduce the risk of injury to the vehicle occupants. To do this, PRE-SAFE® continually monitors the sensor data from systems such as the ESP® and BAS, and it can recognise, for instance, vehicle understeer or oversteer as well as emergency stops.
If the typical characteristics of a critical driving situation are identified, safety systems can respond within a fraction of a second. The motor-driven belt tensioners are activated, the electrically adjustable front-passenger seat with Memory Package (standard on C 63 AMG, optional on other models) is moved to a more "favourable" crash position, and the side windows and sliding sunroof (standard on C 63 AMG, optional on other models) are closed automatically.
Numerous occupant protection systems can significantly reduce the risk of injury during an accident. Examples include the NECK-PRO head restraint, a standard feature on the front seats: when the sensor detects an impact from the rear, it thrusts the head restraint forward and upward in a matter of milliseconds to reduce the gap between it and the occupant's head.
The C-Class Estate is also equipped with adaptive belt tensioners for the front seats, belt tensioners for the outer rear seats and with numerous airbags, including two-stage driver/front-passenger airbags, sidebags for driver, front passenger and outer rear occupants, driver kneebag, and windowbags extending across all seat rows. The windowbag protection zone covers virtually the entire area of the side windows.
The sidebags and windowbags are controlled by pressure sensors: if the door deforms due to a side impact, the air pressure between the door panelling and the interior of the door increases. This change is registered by the sensors, which help the control system to trigger the airbags.
Protection also extends to other road users, however, thanks to features such as smooth body surfaces with a generous degree of predefined yield.
To reduce consequential damage after an accident and support the work of the rescue services, a number of different actions are initiated, depending on the type and severity of the accident:
- Optimum protection: The engine can be turned off automatically and the fuel supply can be cut off.
- Safe lighting: hazard and emergency interior lights can activate to lower the risk of accidents and help locate the car.
- Aiding escape: the side windows can be partially lowered and the door locking mechanism can be automatically released.
To complete its holistic safety philosophy, Mercedes-Benz has also published multilingual rescue guidelines (accessible worldwide on the internet) as a preventive measure for rescue services.
