Safety isn’t just about size.
Building a car that is small, compact and comfortable is a challenge in itself. But a small car offering a level of safety comparable with a large car calls for an innovative concept.
Building a car that is small, compact and comfortable is a challenge in itself. But a small car offering a level of safety comparable with a large car calls for an innovative concept.
The smart fortwo developers attached great importance to offering maximum safety in minimum space and equipped it with active safety systems that help to prevent accidents and tricky situations from the outset. And should an accident be unavoidable, passive safety elements contribute to protecting the driver and passenger from harm.
The tridion safety cell is additionally reinforced with high-strength steel sheets at strategically important points – for maximum stability, rigidity and strength. The impact energy is distributed evenly over the longitudinal and transverse members and thus reduced effectively.
It’s always good news when an accident doesn’t do any damage. But it’s even better if the accident can be prevented in the first place. That's why the smart fortwo comes with active safety systems, to help prevent dangerous situations before they arise. In city traffic in particular you may encounter situations where you have to swerve or brake: the door of a parked car opening suddenly, wet leaves on the side of the road or a misjudged bend can result in a critical driving situation. In such cases esp® helps to stabilise the vehicle, whilst the anti-lock braking system abs optimises braking and swerving manoeuvres.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding, the electronic stability programme (esp®) throttles the engine torque and brakes specific individual wheels in order to prevent the car from breaking away.
The anti-lock braking system ensures that you even retain control during emergency braking. The electronics prevent the wheels from locking, enabling you to continue steering the smart fortwo safely whilst applying the brakes.
if you step on the brakes quickly but not firmly enough in a dangerous situation, hydraulic brake assist will help you by initiating controlled emergency braking.
Some things you just can't predict. That's why the smart fortwo has a technically sophisticated safety concept to protect you in emergency situations. At the heart of the smart’s passive safety concept is the tridion safety cell. This offers maximum stability in an ultra-compact design, and provides protection by keeping deformation of the passenger compartment to an absolute minimum.
In a frontal impact the front wheel absorbs a large part of the force of impact. In a side-on crash the other vehicle will almost always hit the wheel and the suspension components behind.
Steel deformation elements at the front and rear absorb the energy from minor collisions at low speeds. A damaged crash box is simple to replace.
The sheet steel structure with integrated headrests lends the seats a high level of mechanical stability. In a frontal impact the belt tensioner will reduce any slack in just a few milliseconds.
Not only keep you safe, because in a crash you are generally above the direct danger zone, but also give you a better view of what's happening on the road.
In a frontal impact two full-size front airbags offer maximum protection for driver and passenger. In a side impact the optional head/thorax side airbags that protect the head and chest area provide additional safety.