Pedestrians are considered unprotected road users as they are not equipped with airbags, seat belts or protective clothing. Their particular risk is also reflected in accident statistics: according to an analysis by the European Commission, pedestrians made up almost one-fifth of all road fatalities in the European Union in 2020. In the USA, their share of the total number of traffic fatalities in 2021 was 17 percent according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Meanwhile, a 2022 study by the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concluded that vehicles equipped with a pedestrian emergency braking system have a 27 percent lower rate of accidents involving pedestrians than vehicles without such technology.
Mercedes-Benz introduced the first Brake Assist System (BAS) back in 1996. In 2005, radar technology was used to enhance the brake assist system by making it anticipatory. Just one year later, experts combined the further developed Distronic Plus distance control system and BAS Plus Brake Assist to create Pre-Safe Brake with autonomous partial braking. The important pedestrian detection feature was added in 2013, and first introduced in the E-Class (W212). In 2016, the pedestrian emergency braking system was then installed as standard equipment for the first time as part of the launch of the new E-Class (W213). Since 2021, Active Brake Assist has been standard equipment on all new Mercedes-Benz car models.
With this approach, Mercedes-Benz's internal safety requirements went beyond the legal requirements: so-called City Emergency Brake Assist systems for low-speed driving will not be mandatory for all types of newly registered passenger cars in the EU until July 2022. From 2024, they will be mandatory for all newly registered cars.
According to the German automaker, future assistance systems will be even more powerful thanks to increasingly advanced sensors and the help of artificial intelligence.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
