Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster: safety

The Integrated Safety Concept from Mercedes-Benz

Phase 1: safe driving

Phase 2: in critical situations

Phase 3: in an accident

A host of safety systems work together in the SLK Roadster to prevent accidents. Should the worst come to the worst, however, a number of occupant safety measures are activated. They include protection for the vehicle occupants as well as for other road users:

  • Protective core: the extremely rigid passenger cell and crumple zones ensure a high level of occupant safety. The reinforced A-pillar and the roll-over bars also give the Roadster outstanding structural strength
  • As deemed necessary by the sensors: depending on the type of pending accident sensed, the seven airbags and the belt systems can be activated selectively. The sensor system will only activate those restraint systems that it calculates to be actually needed
  • All-round protection: depending on the predicted severity of a collision, the Adaptive Front Airbags in the SLK can be deployed in two stages (in a minor collision, in the first deployment stage the airbag is only partially filled). In lateral impacts that exceed a defined threshold, the optimised head/sidebags in the flanks of the seat backrests are deployed on the impact side. The headbags deploy from the upper edge of the door inner sides, the sidebags are integrated on the outside edges of the seat backrests
  • Safety is all in the head: crash-responsive head restraints improve occupant protection and help to reduce the risk of whiplash injury. In the event of a rear-end collision the head restraints can be moved forward by around 40 mm and upwards by around 30 mm, providing support for the vehicle occupants’ heads at an earlier stage
  • Intelligent protection for other road users: the standard active bonnet function can help reduce the risk of injury to pedestrians or cyclists colliding into the bonnet if the car is travelling at a speed between 25 and 55 km/h. To cushion the blow, the bonnet springs up by approx. 8.5 centimetres at the rear.

Phase 4: after an accident

To reduce consequential damage after an accident and support the work of the rescue services, a number of different actions are initiated, depending on the type and severity of the accident:

  • Best possible protection: the engine can be switched off automatically and the fuel supply can be cut off
  • Conspicuous lighting: the hazard warning lamps and emergency interior lighting are activated automatically in order to prevent subsequent accidents and make it easier to find the accident vehicle
  • Measures to aid rescue: where necessary, side windows are lowered by a small amount and the doors can be automatically unlocked. Additionally, integral crash joints between the wing and the door can make opening the doors after a frontal collision easier
  • Direct connection: the Mercedes-Benz emergency call system (part of COMAND Online) can send an automatic emergency call through a switched-on phone in the vehicle as soon as the restraint system has identified that there has been an accident. The call communicates the GPS location data and other information to the Mercedes-Benz emergency call centre. Thereafter a spoken link is provided

[1] Part of the optional Driving Assistance package.

[2] Part of the optional COMAND Online multimedia system.

[3] Standard equipment for the SLK 55 AMG; for all other models, part of the optional Dynamic Handling package

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