Safety reward

Britain’s premier award for road safety has been won by Daimler-Benz AG for its airbag protection system. Presented by Mintex Don Ltd, the prize is allocated by an independent judging panel, which felt that the combination of the airbag with a system which instantly tightens the seat-belt in a crash offers better protection than any other system currently available.

More than 350,000 customers have specified airbags on their Mercedes, and the device is available on every car in the company’s range, at a price in Britain of £1,165. The system is now being extended to the front seat passenger (though this option is as yet only available on LHD S-class cars) using a larger airbag and an interlink so that it only operates when the seat is occupied.

Professor Guntram Huber, head of passenger car development at Daimler-Benz received the trophy at a presentation in London in January.