NEWBIE CARS: Mercedes-Benz Active Safety Experience 2007

Better driving skills can make a world of difference for all road users even those with state-of-the-art active and passive safety systems in their vehicles. To communicate this philosophy, DaimlerChrysler Malaysia has organised the Mercedes-Benz Active Safety Experience 2007 � a driver training programme that makes this possible.

Owners' Mercs are just as varied as the ASE training cars!

Mercedes-Benz has offered its customers driving safety training courses for over three decades now as part of a wide-ranging commitment to improving road safety. The first such courses took place in 1972 and these courses are subject to a constant process of optimisation and are tailored to the needs and priorities of various different target groups.

Mercedes-Benz sees its customer driving training courses as an important part of its PRO-SAFE� integrated safety philosophy, a philosophy which is underpinned primarily by the aim of accident avoidance. The highly effective safety systems and technically flawless vehicles play its part in achieving this aim but well trained drivers are also an essential ingredient. The aim of Mercedes-Benz driving safety training is to teach drivers how to recognise critical situations in advance and respond to them as effectively as possible. The training also teaches drivers to understand and experience the state-of-the-art safety systems in Mercedes-Benz models.

Mercedes-Benz has always been at the head of the pack in terms of development of vehicle safety and with pioneering innovations such as airbags, ABS, Brake Assist (BAS), ESP� and PRE-SAFE�, the three-pointed star has built up a reputation for setting high standards. In addition to this successful technical commitment, the Stuttgart-based car maker has maintained an equally sharp focus on the human element in road safety. Participants in driving safety training courses held around the world have benefited from exploring the disciplines of driving dynamics and the laws of physics, thus learning how to control their vehicle with maximum safety.

The aim of this programme is based on four objectives:
1) Recognising potential danger
2) Avoiding danger
3) Handling critical situations
4) Understanding and experiencing Mercedes-Benz safety systems.

�The Active Safety Experience features a series of practical tests completed under the watchful eye of expert instructors and aims to give drivers a thorough understanding of the state-of-the-art safety technology at work in Mercedes passenger cars, so that these systems can be used as effectively as possible out on the road. The training programmes are tailored to a range of different target groups, with courses organised for everybody from professional drivers to novices at the wheel,� said Florian Mueller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Mercedes-Benz and its integrated safety philosophy PRO-SAFE� offers this outstanding driving safety training to complement the exceptional engineering and technology of its vehicles. Therefore, all the exercises and programmes are designed and implemented to mirror real-life situations and experienced instructors, medical experts and sports teachers all lend their specialist input to the extremely demanding intensive driving safety training.

The practical section of the training programmes is made up of exercises which reconstruct typical situations in everyday driving � emergency braking, skids, evasive manoeuvres and high-speed lane changes. In this way, the participants on the course learn how to spot the signs of a potentially hazardous situation before it occurs and the right way for a driver to react to danger. The key aim of the driving safety training courses is to teach the participants to think ahead and drive in a way that will allow them to avoid accidents.

The Active Safety Experience reflects Mercedes-Benz' PRO-SAFE� philosophy of analysing every aspect of safety � from supporting the driver through electronic systems and adjusting occupant protection in response to the severity of the impact, to sending a warning to other drivers and getting assistance to people involved in an accident. PRO-SAFE� is underpinned by careful analysis of real-life traffic situations and accidents and is evidence of Mercedes-Benz�s long-standing and successful commitment to bringing about improvements in road safety.

�No other car manufacturer can claim as much expertise in the area of active and passive vehicle safety as Mercedes-Benz. The engineers in Stuttgart have thus left their mark on every area of automotive development. Mercedes-Benz sets the pace in terms of honing drivers' skill at the wheel. Indeed, the brand's integrated commitment to safety includes offering a driving safety training programme to its customers around the world and giving them the chance to refine their driving ability,� added Mueller.

For this event, Mercedes-Benz works in close cooperation with tyre manufacturer Michelin, who supplies tyres and a tyre support service for the training vehicles and teaches the participants how to look after their tyres correctly.

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