Should it be despite the modern Full LED headlights or the new type of double camera 3D environment detection If there is an accident, you can only rely on the passive safety devices of the new S-Class.
Seat belt airbag
If you sit in the second row, you have to do without an airbag in front of you - all the more important is the belt for the passengers in the back seats. In the new S-Class (W222) Mercedes-Benz has started at two points in order to bring this restraint system up to the state-of-the-art.
Light in the seat belt buckle
The seat belt buckles for the passengers in the rear seats of the new S-Class are illuminated and are therefore particularly easy to find at night. Often guests ride on the back seat who are looking for the seat belt buckle for a moment, may not find it immediately, and then decide to make the journey without a seat belt. An illuminated seat belt buckle helps here - but more importantly, the seat belt buckles on the rear seat bench move up a few centimeters from the rest position and are therefore particularly easy to use.
As soon as the belt is in the buckle, the belt whips retract and, during this, also tighten the belt of the rear passengers.
But all good things come in threes and so the seat belt airbag is probably the smartest new idea in terms of passenger safety.
The wider the belt, the lower the forces on the human bone structure - should a serious accident occur.
At the same time, a belt that is too wide from the start is a real drawback in terms of comfort and would mean that many passengers would not wear a belt at all. The Mercedes-Benz solution to this problem is the seat belt airbag:
If the worst comes to the worst, the belt is inflated to (almost) three times its width using an air pressure cartridge, thus reducing the forces acting on the passenger's chest. The belt airbag called “Beltbag” is used like a normal seat belt. And in contrast to the ignition mechanisms in the front airbags, this beltbag is filled by a so-called “cold explosion”. There are no new risks. In contrast to the other airbags in the vehicle, this system can also be used with significantly less air.
With these insights into the safety technology of the new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz has already provided a foretaste of what to look forward to.
As it currently looks, the S-Class will once again raise the bar for active and passive safety in automotive engineering.
I think:
Mercedes consistently follows the path of the safety pioneer and makes expensive new developments a reality thanks to the wealthy customers of the S-Class. I'm looking forward to my first ride in the new S-Class 🙂
Jens also gave an overview of the features of the new S-Class in his blog.