Says Dr. Rodolf Schoneburg, the head of safety development at Mercedes. "Making use of this interval opens up new dimensions in occupant protection."
Schoneburg says Mercedes researchers have already been testing a number of potential Pre-Safe systems, including automatically extending bumpers, "smart" crash boxes in the front-end structure, and even active interior components such as movable interior door panels, sensor-controlled seats, and other ideas for preventive occupant protection.
The crash repair and insurance industries may be particularly interested to note that, if the collision is avoided at the last moment, the Pre-Safe systems would reset themselves to their original status, thereby avoiding expensive repairs.
Schoneburg says Pre-Safe incorporates systems that use "specialized sensors to continuously monitor the driver, vehicle and road surface and are automatically activated when danger is detected." Most of these devices can of course be found in the pricey products from Mercedes, including anti-lock braking, Brake Assist (BAS), and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP).
"In a future Pre-safe equipped Mercedes," Schoneburg promises, "the new occupant protection systems would go into action when sensors in the car detect that the vehicle is on a collision course with another vehicle."
Specifically, that means that, "even before the driver has time to react and apply the brakes, the seatbelts will tense and restrain the driver's and passengers' torsos, preventing their bodies from moving forward during the braking maneuver and ensuring a safe seating position."