We’re proud to announce that Mercedes-Benz has just been awarded the What Van? 2015 Safety Award for the fourth consecutive year. This is largely down to the abundance of new innovative safety features that are being introduced in the new 2015 Sprinter.
Mercedes-Benz has consistently been committed to safety and preventing accidents and many of the new technologies are “firsts” for the van industry. All of these advanced safety applications work together and combine to create an overall safer, more stable, and more enjoyable driving experience. A few of these ground-breaking features include:
Blind Spot Assist*: Already introduced with Trucks, Blind Spot Assist will be a feature in the new Sprinter. Its creation came about to reduce the risk of collisions posed to cyclists and other vulnerable road users. It helps drivers to monitor areas which are difficult for them to see by warning the driver of detected dangers and preventing accidents by specific braking intervention. The system indicates using a red triangle in the exterior mirror that lights up when cars or motorcycles are located in the blind spot.
Crosswind Assist: As part of the electronic Stability Program, Crosswind Assist prevents a van from being blown into an adjacent lane and/or into the path of another vehicle.
Active Lane Keeping Assist*: Radar sensors monitor the traffic around the vehicle, while a camera checks whether you are drifting out of your lane or driving over broken or continuous road markings. The system immediately makes you aware of the risk of collision by pulsating vibrations through the steering wheel and also intervenes via ESP® with lane-correcting brake application on one side of the vehicle.
Highbeam Assist*: This prevents you from dazzling other drivers at night.
Collision Prevention Assist: Yet another safety device worthy of celebration is Collision Prevention Assist. The radar-based system continuously monitors the distance from the vehicle ahead, alerting the driver when there is a danger of a collision and optimising the braking power according to the remaining distance.
Attention Assist: This system kicks in at speeds above 50mph. It has the ability to gauge the driver’s alertness through a variety of sensors that detect inconsistent behaviour that could be caused by fatigue on a long journey.
Active Parking Assist: As its name would suggest, Active Parking Assist will steer you into a parking space.
*first-time applications in the van segment
Clearly, meticulous planning, thought, and engineering have gone in to the new Sprinter, and across the Mercedes-Benz van range. It’s a welcome Award from What Van? and reiterates the Mercedes-Benz commitment to road safety and innovation.
