Why lane-assist systems feel harsher

Tougher NCAP safety requirements will create cars that are tougher on driver errors and programmed to intervene more harshly in a potential emergency, according to Mercedes-Benz.

The driver-assistance package needed for a five-star NCAP score has already been tweaked in the company’s latest compact car family with more aggressive intervention for its lane-departure control package of braking and steering.

Mercedes-Benz admits the change is directly related to the NCAP score for its new A-Class and B-Class models, which means there is likely to be an early impact in Australia as the same scoring method is adopted by ANCAP.

While not directly crediting NCAP with the safety change, Benz’s head of testing for the compact series, Jochen Eck, admits that the company is always looking for ways to improve its safety.

“The NCAP requirement specifies how far you are allowed to cross the sideline of the road. That value decreased from 30 centimetres to 15 centimetres,” Eck revealed to carsales.com.au.

“You have to calculate how fast you intervene … before you reach that threshold. You watch the line, you know your vehicle speed to the side, so either you intervene earlier, or faster and more harshly.

“And we opted for the second one to decrease the number of incidents.”

Eck admits that buyers could initially be surprised, even slightly shocked, by the new intervention method and how the car reacts in situations where it might previously have not been triggered. But he also says they will adjust quickly to the car’s behaviour.

“It’s like that the first time, or the second time, but on the third occasion you know what’s going on,” he says.

“First thing is you pay more attention, and then you get used to it. And you ask, ‘Am I wrong or is the car wrong?’.”

Eck admits that even he took some adjustment to the new threshold and braking pattern.

“I was very surprised, because I didn’t know what was going on. But the car is actually pretty good. It is right in more than 90 per cent of situations.”

Development of the updated system was an early target for the compact development program, even though the NCAP change was relatively recent.

“During the entire development phase we had that set-up. It’s not something we introduced at the last minute.

“Introducing this whole package of driver assistance in the compact cars is new. It's basically taking S-Class features into the compact class.”

Although he admits the connection to NCAP requirements, Eck says Mercedes-Benz’s safety work is not tied directly to a five-star score.

“It’s not that NCAP is the law. We are not developing for an NCAP requirement. This system was developed for safety.

“[But] We do react to NCAP changes all the time. Every time something changes it triggers an internal discussion.”

Even so, he admits the NCAP pay-off.

“It gives you, relatively speaking, a lot of safety points. We believe it gives you a lot of safety. It’s lane-keeping assist, it assists you.

“I believe it is good to transfer safety technology to the customer’s mind. It simplifies things very much. Ultimately, you come out with the number of stars you get.”

As NCAP standards continue to get tougher, Eck has a personal view on the benefits for car buyers.

“Do I like everything that NCAP does? Certainly not. But it’s a good way to present the safety standards to the customer base and the development of safety.

“A lot of cars that got five stars 10 years ago would probably only get two stars today.”