“When there is the risk of an accident, the system calculates in the blink of an eye the required braking power, which is immediately supplied when the driver applies the brakes. In critical braking situations, the front seatbelts are also tightened as a preventive measure, while the inflatable seat cushions are pumped up and the seats are brought into a position that provides the vehicle’s occupants with maximum protection in the event of a collision”
Two things strike me – firstly there’ll be a whole new breed of Merc driver who goes out to trigger the system for kicks, secondly what happens when it trickles down through the market into the ten-year-old junkers I’m likely to buy, what are its failure modes? I’m quite happy with the failure modes of ABS, for instance, because I know I’ve still got real brakes if I can remember how to use them when it comes the (not) crunch.
