Yesterday my wife and I were driving through the neighborhood in her Mercedes E320 Bluetec Diesel. A kid pulled out in front of me and I jammed on the brakes. The ABS kicked in and the car stopped perfectly. However, the thing that surprised me was that the seatbelts ratcheted in! The seatbelt didn’t just lock and stop my forward progress. The seatbelts pulled me back against the seat! I didn’t know that they did that. I was impressed.
My late 80s benzes have this feature too, albeit less sophisticated. In cars of that era, small explosives (i have seen them referred to as shotgun shells) detonate and instantaneously tighten the belts in a crash.
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1988 300TE, 251,000 miles
1989 300SE, 89,000 miles
2000 E320 4matic wagon, 115k miles
My late 80s benzes have this feature too, albeit less sophisticated. In cars of that era, small explosives (i have seen them referred to as shotgun shells) detonate and instantaneously tighten the belts in a crash.
Explosives! I am glad that the system has changed. I have never experienced anything like that before. Nice to know my wife is safe.
is that good? i mean.... wouldnt the force pushing you back from the seatbelt seriously damage your neck? i mean, thats only making it worse.... right? (or is my logic illogical?)
is that good? i mean.... wouldnt the force pushing you back from the seatbelt seriously damage your neck? i mean, thats only making it worse.... right? (or is my logic illogical?)
They don't pull you back with whiplash or anything like that. Since the seatbelt is (well, should be) pretty snug on you, it basically just tightens and gets rid of any slack to prevent you from flying forward.
That is part of the safety system first released in the S-Class. It is called Pre-Safe. PRE-SAFE uses the ESP/BAS system to monitor the drive dynamics of the vehicle. If the conditions are right for the BAS to activate, then PRE-SAFE will snug-up the front seat belts, and adjust the front passenger seat to a more favorable position for impact. If you put the car in a severe skid and a roll-over is suspected, PRE-SAFE will also close the windows and sunroof. If nothing happens, the seatbelts return to their relaxed position, and you can reposition the front seats, windows and sunroof to your comfort. For a neat little video explaining PRE-SAFE's function, click on the link.
That is part of the safety system first released in the S-Class. It is called Pre-Safe. PRE-SAFE uses the ESP/BAS system to monitor the drive dynamics of the vehicle. If the conditions are right for the BAS to activate, then PRE-SAFE will snug-up the front seat belts, and adjust the front passenger seat to a more favorable position for impact. If you put the car in a severe skid and a roll-over is suspected, PRE-SAFE will also close the windows and sunroof. If nothing happens, the seatbelts return to their relaxed position, and you can reposition the front seats, windows and sunroof to your comfort. For a neat little video explaining PRE-SAFE's function, click on the link.
I am glad that the system has changed. I have never experienced anything like that before. Nice to know my wife is safe.
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