The Autmotive Safety Council, an American association, has just presented Mercedes-Benz Cars Head of Passive Safety and Vehicle Functions Prof. Rodolfo Schöneburg with the ‘Pathfinder Award’, a distinction given each year to individuals who have contributed significantly to the improvement of vehicle safety.

Prof. Schöneburg cited the great strides that Mercedes-Benz has been able to make as far as passive and active safety of automobiles are concerned. He added that there is still a lot of potential for development in the future.

“On the one hand it is essential to continuously improve and optimise established safety systems in the vehicle, but on the other hand we must be able to recognise when further potential can only be tapped by employing completely new solutions,” commented Prof. Schöneburg at the conference held in Reunion, Florida.

Accident prevention and occupant protection systems are the two areas in which Prof. Schöneburg sees considerable potential for progress. Expect the latest developments in vehicle safety to be fielded in the trailblazing S-Class, which always features the latest and greatest features and technology.

Prof. Schöneburg has been the Head of Passive Safety and Vehicle Functions at Mercedes-Benz Cars since April 1999. During his term, he has been responsible for developments like the Mercedes-Benz PRE-SAFE system.