Life-saving innovation celebrates milestone anniversary It has been 25 years since an S-Class Saloon became the first production car fitted with an airbag to roll off the production line at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen. It was the culmination of more than 13 years of development and the beginning of a new era in vehicle safety. According to accident research, the airbag has saved over 14,200 lives in the US to date; in Germany alone it has saved 2,500 lives since 1990. Mercedes-Benz offered the airbag long before any other car manufacturer, and has so far equipped more than 12 million vehicles with this safety innovation. It has been fitted as standard in all passenger cars displaying the Mercedes-Benz star since October 1992. In the recent years, Mercedes-Benz engineers have continued to develop airbag technology, including introducing side airbags and systems that adapt in line with the serverity of the accident. Airbags are also set to become an integral part of PRE-SAFE® anticipatory occupant protection system, equipped with new, anticipatory sensors which will enable them to deploy in advance of a possible accident so as to reduce the forces exerted on the car occupants both before and during any impact. The airbag is very much a part of Mercedes-Benz history. And, along with the likes of the crumple zone, safety steering system, seat belt tensioner, anti-lock braking system and other Mercedes-Benz inventions, it is a testament to the pioneering role played by the Stuttgart-based manufacturer in the field of passenger car safety. click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge