You've probably never heard of Béla Barényi, but you've almost certainly been impacted by him in some way, shape or form. The Austro-Hungarian engineer had a huge effect on the automotive industry, most notably during his 33-year tenure as the head of pre-development for Mercedes-Benz , where he helped revolutionize and popularize the idea of passive safety.Crumple zones, collapsible steering columns and the idea of a passenger cell can all be credited to Barényi while he was at Mercedes , as this fascinating historical video from the German manufacturer points out. Besides detailing Barényi's successes, it includes some great video of the testing processes used for old Silver Arrows - you'll be amazed by how many times an old, boat-like Mercedes sails through the air or crashes into something in this three-minute video.Take a look below , and let us know what you think.