Lifesavers

In response to a steep rise in the number of accidents in the 1960s, in 1967 Mercedes-Benz started work on an airbag for practical use. The sensors and the system to generate the gas, as well as the airbag fabric, were new developments. Initial versions relied on compressed air and freon to fill the airbag. However, the best technical solution proved to be a textile bag that, in the event of an accident, can be inflated in milliseconds by a pyrotechnic generator to gently cushion the driver.
In 1971 Mercedes-Benz was granted Patent DE 2152902 C2 for the airbag.

1987 erster beifahrer airbag klein

1987 – first passenger airbag

radarbasierte aktive totwinkel assistent klein

The radar-based blind spot assistant warns drivers when changing lane if it sees another vehicle in the blind spot of the wing mirror. The lane departure warning system consists of a camera on the front windshield which recognises the lane markings and warns drivers when the car unintentionally strays from the detected lane. If the driver does not react, the system brakes one or several wheels to counteract a change of or departure from the lane.



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