The Mercedes-Benz ATTENTION ASSIST® System Can Detect and Alert You to Drowsy Driving

What Does the Coffee Cup Mean On the Mercedes-Benz Instrument Cluster
Drivers are always wondering what this symbol or that symbol means when illuminated in the instrument cluster or dashboard. Often times, it can be easy to make an educated guess, but other times, the meaning behind a certain symbol is a little more interesting. That’s the case with the coffee cup icon on the Mercedes-Benz instrument cluster. What does it mean? Allow us to explain.

The coffee cup icon, when illuminated in the instrument cluster display on your Mercedes-Benz, indicates that the ATTENTION ASSIST® system is turned on. ATTENTION ASSIST® is a vehicle feature that will detect signs of drowsy driving and tell you when it’s time to take a break.

How Does the Mercedes-Benz ATTENTION ASSIST® System Work?
The system is actually very simple to understand and should require minimal effort on your part to operate. When activated, ATTENTION ASSIST® will continually monitor your driving patterns, looking for signs of inattentive driving. Such characteristics of drowsy driving include abnormal steering patterns, and factors such as travel time and length are also taken into consideration.

If such signs of tired driving are detected, the system will spring into action by delivering a visual and audible warning. This visual warning will appear in your instrument cluster display, urging you to take a break. These system functions will work between 50-110 mph.

Find more innovation from the latest S-Class models

How to Stay Awake While Driving Long Distances or at Night
As amazing as the ATTENTION ASSIST® feature is, much of the responsibility for staying alert on the road is up to the driver. This can be easier said than done when trying to stay awake while driving long distances or driving late at night. But, here are some tips to keep in mind that will help keep you and others safe:

Be aware of the classic signs of your alertness levels dropping on the road, such as yawning, frequent blinking, long blinks, missing important road signs, difficulty recalling events/scenes from the past few miles, discomfort or irritability, and drifting outside your lane.
If you know you’ll be driving at night or driving a long distance, plan ahead and make absolutely sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep the night before. Better yet, try to also take a nap a little while before hitting the road.
Unless you are used to driving during the late night/early morning hours due to working the night shift at your job or something similar, avoid driving too late at night and too early in the morning. For instance, driving after midnight may go against your bodies normal sleep cycle and can be a particularly dangerous time to be on the road. If you usually sleep during the time that you are driving, that’s probably a good enough sign that it’s time to call it quits and rest up.
Check out more tips and tricks with your vehicle

Now that you know what that coffee cup on your Mercedes-Benz instrument cluster display means, and have some tips on staying alert during a long drive, remember that safety should always be your top priority on the road. If it means getting to your destination later than you’d like, so be it. To learn more about your Mercedes-Benz vehicle, check back to the Mercedes-Benz of Hilton Head blog for more tips.