Mercedes-Benz Night view assist
According to German accident statistics, more than 55 percent of accidents resulting in pedestrian fatalities occur at night or in semi-darkness at dawn or dusk. This is why Mercedes-Benz is committed to helping drivers see better in the dark. The new S-Class is equipped with powerful projection-beam headlamps – with optional bi-xenon technology – which play an important role in this respect. The Stuttgart-based car manufacturer offers bi-xenon technology in combination with the Active Light System and the cornering light function which illuminate areas around the vehicle which are left in darkness by normal headlamps. These features make an effective contribution to the prevention of pedestrian accidents at intersections and junctions.
Night view assist, a world first for Mercedes-Benz is being premiered in the S-Class. Based on infrared light technology, the system is available in combination with bi-xenon headlamps and the Active Light System. This unique package of the best and most effective lighting technology currently available is one of the defining features of the new Mercedes flagship model. In the dark, the newly developed night view assist system provides the driver with a much greater range of vision than conventional low-beam headlamps, enabling the course of the road, pedestrians, cyclists and obstacles to be seen much sooner.
Mercedes engineers examined the capabilities of this technology in a series of trials. During comparative test drives with low-beam bi-xenon headlamps and the new night view assist system, the test drivers recognised obstacles in the road much sooner when assisted by the infrared light system. During tests, drivers were already able to discern roadside test dummies dressed in light-coloured clothing at a range of around 210 metres, which is about 41 metres sooner than with low-beam bi-xenon headlamps. The system proves even more effective in the case of pedestrians in dark clothing. In these situations the night view assist system already enabled the drivers to identify the test dummies at a range of around 164 metres, but only at about 72 metres when driving with low-beam bi-xenon headlamps alone. This represents a safety improvement of no less than 125 percent.
Even when the headlamps of oncoming vehicles dazzle the driver and severely obscure the view, visibility is much better with this assistance system: a test dummy in light-coloured clothing standing at the road edge 50 metres behind an oncoming vehicle was detected from an average distance of 140 metres with the help of night view assist – around 53 metres sooner than with low-beam bi-xenon headlamps.
Look for BMW, Lexus and others to follow MB and introduce a system of their own within a year after the S-Class system hits the streets.