Airbags and crumple zones are two of the most significant safety features to appear in modern automobiles. During a collision, a car designed with these attributes will absorb a significant amount of energy, protecting the occupants inside from harm. The widespread industry adoption of these features has led to a steady decline in auto accident deaths over the years, and now some manufacturers are looking to go even further.
Mercedes-Benz is reportedly working on new technology that will not only improve safety in side impact collision, but also increase the effectiveness of braking power. Test vehicles are equipped with a metal structure that can sense an impending crash from the side and instantly inflate, provided much-needed cushioning. In addition, Mercedes-Benz is experimenting with a brake bag that will inflate and press against the ground to help cars decelerate before colliding with an obstacle.
A substantial amount of work on these ideas is actually being done in India, where demand for better auto safety is quite high. The country suffers from the highest number of road accident deaths in the world, and many cars on the road are not equipped with many basic safety measures. Slowly, Mercedes-Benz is hoping to change this. One problem the automaker has faced is that many of the frequency bands needed to operate safety technology are not available for use. Mercedes-Benz has been pushing the Indian government to free up this bandwidth so it can be used for the systems that detect incoming collisions.