Mercedes-Benz B-Class 2011, Owner'S Manual

Page: 69 / 329

Adaptive brake lamps
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 50 km/h or if braking is assisted by BAS
or BAS PLUS, the brake lamps flash rapidly.
In this way, traffic travelling behind you is
warned in an even more noticeable manner.
If you brake sharply from a speed of more
than 70 km/h to a standstill, the hazard warn-
ing lamps are activated automatically. If the
brakes are applied again, the brake lamps
light up continuously. The hazard warning
lamps switch off automatically if you travel
faster than 10 km/h. You can also switch off
the hazard warning lamps using the hazard
warning switch button (
Y
page 99).
i
Adaptive brake lamps are only available in
certain countries.
ESP
®
(Electronic Stability Program)
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If the ÷ warning lamp in the instrument
cluster flashes, proceed as follows:
R do not deactivate ESP
®
under any circum-
stances.
R
only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary when pulling away.
R
adapt your driving style to suit the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.
Otherwise, the vehicle could go into a skid.
ESP
®
cannot reduce the risk of an accident if
you drive too fast. ESP ® cannot override the
laws of physics.
!
Switch the ignition off when:
R
the electric parking brake is being tested
using a brake dynamometer.
R
the vehicle is being towed with the front/
rear axle raised.
Application of the brakes by ESP
®
may oth-
erwise destroy the brake system.
If ESP
®
detects that the vehicle is deviating
from the direction desired by the driver, one
or more wheels are braked to stabilise the
vehicle. If necessary, the engine output is also
modified to keep the vehicle on the desired
course within physical limits. ESP ® assists
the driver when pulling away on wet or slip-
pery roads. ESP
®
can also stabilise the vehi-
cle during braking.
If ESP
®
intervenes, the ÷ ESP
®
warning
lamp flashes in the instrument cluster.
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 62).
i
Only use wheels with the recommended
tyre sizes. Only then will ESP
®
function
properly.
Traction control
Traction control is part of ESP
®
.
Traction control brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if they spin. This enables you to pull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces, for
example if the road surface is slippery on one
side.
Traction control remains active if you deacti-
vate ESP
®
.
i
Observe the "Important safety notes" sec-
tion (
Y
page 62).
Deactivating/activating ESP
®
G WARNING
ESP
®
is deactivated if the å warning lamp
in the instrument cluster lights up continu-
ously when the engine is running.
If the
÷ warning lamp and å warning
lamp are lit continuously, ESP
®
is not availa-
ble due to a malfunction.
There is an increased risk of your vehicle skid-
ding in certain situations.
You should always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
66
Driving safety systems
Safety