likudio

Hi,

I just want to share this with you and also, perhaps there are some other users here that have been through similar experience and can share theirs also.
Though it saved me a couple of times from collision, this time - the collision prevention assist failed to notice that the car in front of me has suddenly stopped, and unfortunately, I noticed late as well (only when the first warning beep sounded - but it was too late), then I tired to avoid but unfortunately hit the electricity pillar.

I wasn't speeding more than 40-45 km/h (proved by the fact that the bonnet popped-open, which only opens at speeds below 50km/h).
Enough damage made... rim, tire, bumper, wings, internal wing, headlight, parking sensors, collision radar (I guess - as there it was listed in the dashboard errors), steering, and a lot more on the inside.

As said - the warning beep sounded way too late, would have expected to sound & brake much earlier.
What else can I say...

Here's the video: | Share your thoughts.

Thanks,
A.

realeric

I'm sorry to hear that but I advise you to pay attention more while driving. Saving one time would be more than enough for me.

likudio

Yeah, what the video doesn't show - is that initially I was on the second lane, but I've been forced to switch to the first lane by the car that just passed nearby, by coming way to close to me, so I was distracted by this.
Too pity that in the same moment, the car in front of me hit the brakes.

And for one of the past times which I remember and I am thankful for, is when I was sun-blinded and didn't see anything, and the car did stop in time to prevent a rear-end collision. Too bad it didn't happen again now...

netboy

i'm impressed with my c450 AMG for 3 times now. the car gave me the collision alert (red triangle and audio alert) warning BEFORE i realized traffics in front suddenly stopped. so i know what to expect and brake accordingly.

likudio

So it did to me... 'til now. But not now.

ItalianJoe1

It still alerted you and you ended up taking less damage than without the warning, as you weren't paying attention, you would have hit the stopped car at full speed. It will still help mitigate the severity of the accident, which it did here. Not a failure of the system if you aren't paying attention while driving.

ItalianJoe1

The warning threshold is 0.7 seconds before impact, so it's not going off all the time, but that isn't a lot of time to react.

chicago-guy

Frankly, I'm surprised your car didn't brake automatically. I wonder if the slight curve of the road was enough to throw it off, i.e., the rear of the car in front of you was at an angle to the sensor, so it didn't fully register as an obstacle?

Also, about that car in front of you, the video shows it had a headlight out. Maybe it had a taillight (or two) out, as well? This obviously would have made it harder for you to note that the car was braking. Burned out taillights are extremely common these days in Chicago.

It's too bad this didn't happen just another six feet or so along the road. Your evasive maneuver would probably have worked fine with so low a curb. Bad luck, man.

DoorHandle_LED

Collision prevention has saved my butt a few times. Aside from the rare false alerts the system works every well in my opinion.

mbmastertech

Collision prevention assist didn't fail you. The word "assist," is there because it is there to help, not completely control. So to say in your title that it failed you is completely wrong. This system helped you avoid a much worse accident that might have resulted in injuries. The fact is, you were not paying attention and it warned you in enough time to "help" you. You should be thankful for this system, not trying make people think it "failed," and CPA was the cause of your crash. You are the cause. Nothing else.
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likudio

@chicago-guy - I agree with all that you said, the slighty curve, the eventually burnt tail-light of the car in front, small road, lack of attention... a chain of events. In the end - indeed, bad luck.

@mbmastertech - I didn't say in any way CPA was the cause of the crash. Of course if I'd had paid a little more attention, this wouldn't happen - but as wrote already - I got distracted by the car that just passed me, which forced me to go on the first lane.
In the end - that's the main purpose of CPA, right? To assist you in these kind of situations, so I think I'd be right for me to say that apart from other times, this time it failed to assist. Or it did it only partially. We all know the system is not 100% perfect, we've seen it in a lot of failed TV demonstrations (Mercedes itself was involved in such sort of scandal in the past, 2014 I think).

I guess if I'd had Distronic (which means a better radar and stereo cameras), things would have been slightly different.
As @chicago-guy said... bad luck.

netboy

my C450 AMG has it. Driver Assistance Package, Pre-Safe Brake with Pedestrian Recognition. i never tried it or experience it. "Even when you're not using the cruise control functions of Distronic Plus, Pre-Safe Brake can help detect an impending collision and automatically apply up to 100% braking force to help reduce the severity of impact. At speeds of up to approximately 35 mph, its Pedestrian Recognition feature can help detect if pedestrians have entered in your path and automatically apply the brakes".