A pioneering advertorial feature from the New Sprinter

When you’ve been at the forefront of your sector for almost two decades, it may seem strange to talk about what to do when you’re behind. But the Collision Prevention Assist safety feature on the New Sprinter is designed for exactly that situation.

As part of one of the innovative safety packages to be found on the New Sprinter, optional Collision Prevention Assist is one more example of why Mercedes-Benz is your responsible choice for the safety of your drivers, as well as being the cost-effective choice for your fleet. Though Collision Prevention Assist is a paid-for option on the New Sprinter, it’s worth every penny, as Andrew Lawson – Mercedes-Benz National Fleet Sales Manager – recently explained to Fleet News.

“The new sector-leading safety systems might cost extra, but” said Lawson, “they’ll pay for themselves the first time a driver avoids an accident. So although they are added extras, they are well worth the money.”

Putting safety on the radar

This feature on the New Sprinter uses a forward-pointing radar to monitor the road up to approximately 80m ahead, and to detect objects which could be targets for a collision: most likely, the vehicle immediately in front.

Of course, under normal circumstances, a vehicle driving in front is not a hazard to an alert driver. So having detected the object, Collision Prevention Assist then uses parameters such as vehicle speed and trajectory to calculate the probability of a collision.

Only if that probability exceeds previously set parameters, and if the New Sprinter is traveling at more than around 18mph, will the Collision Prevention Assist system involve the driver.

On the alert
Even the most experienced drivers in your fleet can sometimes find their attention being distracted from the road ahead. If that moment of distraction coincides with, for instance, an incident a few cars ahead, which then leads to vehicles in front suddenly slowing down, the result can be an increased risk of a rear-end collision.

On the New Sprinter, if the risk of collision exceeds a critical value, the Collision Prevention Assist system alerts the driver so that he or she can take action in good time.

However, knowing the likelihood of driver fallibility, Mercedes-Benz have incorporated a further safety feature within the New Sprinter’s Collision Prevention Assist system.

Better braking
In around 70% of rear-end collisions the driver fails to brake hard enough. So if the New Sprinter’s Collision Prevention Assist system detects the driver initiating emergency braking in response to the alert, it automatically activates the Braking Assist System (BAS) to ensure optimum braking force is applied.

This kind of comprehensive, innovative thinking is what makes the New Sprinter the safe choice for your fleet – in every sense of the word. Because as well as protecting your drivers, it protects your investment, and as well as enhancing their safety it enhances your business’s reputation.  

Find out more for your fleet
With sector-leading safety features such as Collision Prevention Assist, combined with impressive fuel economy, lower whole life costs and higher residual values, the New Sprinter could be the perfect upgrade for your fleet.
 

To find out more about how the New Sprinter could fit your fleet and your budget, get in touch with our Fleet Business Centre here.