Mercedes-Benz Keeps Pedestrians Safe

Mercedes Keeps Pedestrians Safe
Posted by eMercedesBenz on September 19, 2005 at 9:00 AM CST

We all know the feeling - it's 10:00 at night, you've just finished a  
month-long project at work that has caused you many sleepless  
nights.  As you venture home on the dark, winding road that leads to  
your house, what happens?  The neighborhood idiot that thinks he  
should go for a jog in the middle of the night wearing nothing but  
black darts out in front of your car, forcing you to slam on your  
brakes and, in the process, causing you a mild myocardial infarction.

In an effort to save the life of the village idiot, as well your  
heart, Mercedes has introduced several new safety features in the new  
S-Class, several of which we have mentioned before.  Two of the most  
talked about features are the new Night View Assist and Brake Assist  
Plus.  To refresh your memory, Night View Assist uses a infrared  
lighting and a camera to illuminate the road, and then beams the  
infrared view to a screen located behind your steering wheel.  Brake  
Assist Plus uses radar to scan the road ahead and calculate the  
necessary brake force needed in the event of an emergency.  If, for  
some reason you are forced to brake suddenly but don't apply enough  
pressure, the Brake Assist Plus then kicks in and applies added  
pressure as needed to safely stop the vehicle.

I know what you're thinking. These features are great, but what  
happens if I actually hit the idiot jogger.  Mercedes, being the  
resourceful type that they are, added extra safety features to the S- 
Class' body as well.  Highlights include a smoother body surface,  
absorbing bumpers, folding exterior mirrors, and rounded door  
handles.  But Mercedes didn't stop there.  They've also added an  
impact-energy absorbing hood, so when the poor jogger flies over your  
hood, he'll have a more comfortable trip, as well as an improved  
deformation space between the hood and the engine, to gently cushion  
the jogger as he's introduced to your four and a half ton luxury sedan.

To view the full story with photos, visit http://emercedesbenz.com