The Integral Safety Concept from Mercedes-Benz divides vehicle safety into four phases:
Virtually no other area inspires the Mercedes-Benz engineers to produce such consistently impressive results as much as research into new safety technologies. The first important safety milestone was reached back in the 1950s with the development of the passenger safety cell, invented by Béla Barényi. Today it is just one of many components of the Integral Safety Concept which edges Mercedes-Benz vehicles ever closer to our vision of accident-free driving.
Phase 1: safe driving
The majority of accidents start long before the actual collision: with a lapse in concentration, poor visibility or hazards which cannot be anticipated. That's why the Mercedes-Benz safety concept employs a range of measures to support safe driving in everyday operation and which help you bring critical situations under control.
Mercedes-Benz stands for automotive safety. That's why our vehicles support their passengers even in critical driving situations, so that well-nigh every drive is a good one.
Cars from Mercedes-Benz have a host of safety systems to prevent accidents. Should the worst come to the worst, however, a number of occupant safety measures are activated. They include protection for the vehicle occupants as well as for other road users.
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:
The best possible protection: the engine can be switched off automatically and the fuel supply can be cut off.
Conspicuous lighting: the hazard warning lamps and the emergency interior lighting can be activated automatically in order to prevent consequential accidents and make it easier to find the accident vehicle.
Good escape possibilities: the doors can be automatically unlocked.
Measure to aid rescue: integral crash joints between the wing and the door can make opening the doors after a frontal collision easier.
Mercedes-Benz has also published multilingual rescue guidelines (accessible worldwide on the internet) as a source of information for rescue services.