Motor vehicle with a device for detecting a side impact

The vehicle (30) has a device for detecting a side impact, and a control unit (32) i.e. airbag control unit, centrally arranged at the vehicle. Acceleration sensors (36) are assigned to the control unit for determining accelerations caused in a direction of a vehicle longitudinal axis and a vehicle transverse axis. Another sensor e.g. transversal acceleration sensor (50) and pressure sensor, determines accelerations caused in a vehicle transverse direction and is arranged in a middle region of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle transverse direction.