Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2013 Owner's Manual page 241

Driving systems
238
front, for vehicle speed, for braking in good
time, and for staying in the lane.
DISTRONIC PLUS Steering Assist does not
detect road and traffic conditions. If you are
following a vehicle which is driving towards
the edge of the carriageway, your vehicle
could come into contact with the curb or
other road boundaries. In the case of devia-
tions in road markings, beware of other road
users, e.g. cyclists, that are directly next to
your vehicle.
Obstacles such as traffic pylons on the lane
or projecting out into the lane are not detec-
ted.
An inappropriate steering intervention, e.g.
after intentionally driving over a lane marking,
can be corrected at any time if you steer
slightly in the opposite direction.
DISTRONIC PLUS Steering Assist cannot con-
tinuously keep your vehicle in lane. In some
cases, the steering intervention is not suffi-
cient to bring the vehicle back to the lane. In
such cases, you must steer the vehicle your-
self to ensure that it does not leave the lane.
The system may be impaired or may not func-
tion if:
there is poor visibility, e.g. due to insuffi-
R
cient illumination of the road, or due to
snow, rain, fog or spray
there is glare, e.g. from oncoming traffic,
R
the sun or reflection from other vehicles
(e.g. if the road surface is wet)
the windscreen is dirty, misted up, dam-
R
aged or covered, for instance by a sticker,
in the vicinity of the camera
no, or several, unclear lane markings are
R
present for one lane, e.g. in a construction
area
the lane markings are worn away, dark or
R
covered up, e.g. by dirt or snow
the distance to the vehicle in front is too
R
small and the lane markings thus cannot be
detected
the lane markings change quickly, e.g.
R
lanes branch off, cross one another or
merge
the road is narrow and winding
R
there are highly variable shade conditions
R
on the road
Pay attention also to the important safety
notes for DISTRONIC PLUS (
The steering interventions are carried out
with a limited steering moment. The system
requires the driver to keep his hands on the
steering wheel and to steer himself.
If you do not steer yourself or if take your
hands off the steering wheel for a prolonged
period of time, the system will first alert you
with a visual warning. A steering wheel sym-
bol appears in the multifunction display. If you
have still not started to steer and have not
taken hold of the steering wheel after five
seconds, a warning tone also sounds to
remind you to take control of the vehicle. DIS-
TRONIC PLUS Steering Assist is then
switched to passive. DISTRONIC PLUS
remains active.
The system is switched to passive and no lon-
ger assists you by performing steering inter-
ventions if:
you actively change lane
R
you use a turn signal
R
you take your hands off the steering wheel
R
or do not steer for a prolonged period of
time
i
After you have finished changing lanes,
DISTRONIC PLUS Steering Assist is auto-
matically active once more.
DISTRONIC PLUS Steering Assist does not
provide assistance:
on very sharp corners
R
if no roadside markings or no clear roadside
R
markings have been detected
if the vehicle in front is not detected at
R
speeds below 60 km/h
when towing a trailer
R
in tyre run-flat mode
R
page 229).
Y