Virtually no other area inspires Mercedes-Benz engineers more than researching new safety technologies. They passed their first key safety milestone as early as the 1950s with the development of the passenger safety cell, invented by Béla Barényi. Today it is one of numerous elements of an integrated safety concept that edges Mercedes-Benz vehicles closer to our vision of accident-free driving.

It divides automotive safety into four phases: "Safe driving" covers all components that aid safe driving, detect critical situations, issue warnings and provide targeted assistance; in the second phase, "In critical situations", PRE-SAFE® prepares the occupants and vehicle for a potential accident in critical situations; the systems for the phase "During an accident" can provide appropriate protection during a crash; and "After an accident" refers to a raft of measures that increase the level of occupant protection after an accident.

The Mercedes-Benz safety concept employs a range of measures to ensure safe driving. The control and display system is tailored to driver requirements. And a broad range of electronic systems are available to support and assist the driver in challenging situations.

Make sure nothing escapes your attentn. even in dark conditions thanks to stand.-spec. Headlamp Assist, which can automat. switch on your lights. Optional extras incl. bi-xenon lamps with LED daytime driving lamps, dynamic headl. range adj. and headl. cleaning sys. Visibility is enhanced by tail lights featuring fibre-optic techn. & LED indicators/rear fog lamps (incl. as std.).

If there is a risk of oversteering/understeering (on a wet road, for example), the dynamic handling control systems, which have been optimised for the R-Class RWD, can intervene to help the driver restabilise the vehicle. As soon as the sensors detect a critical handling situation, brake pressure can be applied to one or more wheels as required and engine output adjusted. The Electronic Stability Program ESP® is included as standard with the R-Class. The system includes Brake Assist (BAS), acceleration skid control (ASR) and ESP® trailer stabilisation.

The electronic parking aid PARKTRONIC employs sensors to monitor the front and rear of the vehicle when manoeuvring and warns the driver if a potential collision is detected. If the optional system identifies an obstruction, it emits a visual signal. As soon as the distance is less than approx. 35 cm, a short warning sound is emitted. If the vehicle gets even closer (less than approx. 25 cm) a continuous signal is sounded. PARKTRONIC uses this procedure to make parking safe, even when limited space is available.

If you brake abruptly, for example, the R-Class is already primed to respond thanks to highly sensitive sensors. In the event of an accident, you receive enhanced protection at an earlier stage. PRE-SAFE® processes information from a number of systems, including the sensors of the Electronic Stability Program (ESP®) and Brake Assist (BAS). If a critical situation is identified, the driver and front-passenger seat belts can be tensioned in fractions of a second and the front-passenger seat adjusted to a more "favourable" crash position (only in conjunction with the optional memory package). If the system detects that a predefined lateral acceleration threshold has been exceeded, the sliding sunroof (if fitted) and side windows can also be closed. Once the danger has passed, belt tensioning is released and all other systems can be returned to the desired positions.

In emergency situations, milliseconds can be crucial. The high-stability R-Class passenger cell provides a highly resilient protective barrier for vehicle occupants. In designing the vehicle body, a special focus was placed on reducing the risk of injury to other road users. If the system registers a collision, a sophisticated system of airbags can be deployed. In the event of a frontal collision, the driver and front passenger can be protected – depending on the severity of the registered impact – by the standard-specification front airbags (which deploy in two stages) and sidebags.

Sidebags are available as an option for the second seat row. Should the system identify a side collision or roll-over, windowbags can expand like a curtain to protect all seat rows. The driver/front-passenger seats as well as the second-row rear seats are fitted with 3-point seat belts as standard. Like the front seats, the outer seats in the second row also feature belt tensioners and belt force limiters.

Crash-responsive NECK-PRO head restraints for the driver and front passenger are included as standard. If the system identifies a rear-end collision above a defined severity, pre-loaded springs push the head restraints forwards by around 43 mm and 24 mm upwards at lightning speed to support the heads of the front occupants at an earlier stage. This can significantly reduce the risk of whiplash injury.