Competence in Safety.
A pioneer in automotive safety.
Mercedes-Benz has been passionate about making cars – each one even better than the
last – from day one. Since the first models invented by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz,
cars have become not only faster but also more comfortable and considerably safer. And
even though the volume of traffic on our roads has increased several-fold, the safety risks
to the driving public remain relatively low thanks to the enormous progress made in the
areas of active safety (accident prevention) and passive safety (minimizing injury during
accidents). Mercedes-Benz has made key contributions in these fields with a safety
development program spanning several decades. Safety-conscious design has always
been and remains a vital aspect of Mercedes-Benz passenger car development.
Many new developments in automotive safety first saw the light of day in a Mercedes,
often long before they appeared in other vehicles. As a result, the Mercedes-Benz brand
has become synonymous with automotive safety around the world. Seat belts and air bags
are perhaps two of the most well known – and still most effective – passive safety
features. Mercedes-Benz first offered its customers 3-point seat belts in1968; and, in
1980 was the world's first automotive manufacturer to install front airbags in standard-
production vehicles.
Understanding safety.
In order to understand how seat belts and air bags provide protection, it is important to
realize what happens to vehicle occupants in an accident. Upon impact, a vehicle is either
decelerated rapidly (when colliding with another vehicle or object) or accelerated (when
hit by a moving object such as another vehicle). When the vehicle is decelerated or
accelerated in this way, inertia always causes the occupants to move toward to the area of
impact. Restraint systems are required to reduce the risk of contact between the
occupants and the vehicle interior caused by this occupant movement. Such systems
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Summary of Contents for SEAT BELTS AND AIRBAGS
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