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For a good few years now, all the cars I've bought have had EBA - Emergency Brake Assist, where if you suddenly apply the brakes very hard, the system automatically fears the worst and applies maximum braking force. At least, that's how I understand it.
My wife's current car has a first for us, AEB, as well as EBA.
Real world example - driving north on the M40 last Friday there was a Tesla Model S in front of us driving quite impatiently, we thought, in moderately heavy traffic. He suddenly dashed over to lane 1, accelerated up the empty lane like a, er, Tesla Model S, and reappeared several cars ahead back in lane 3. Naughty.
A couple of minutes later the traffic slowed right down, I was already braking fairly hard, and suddenly had to brake with maximum effort. I glanced in my rear view mirror, as you do, to see a hulking great VW SUV swerving into a conveniently vacant space in lane 2, just avoiding crashing into the back of me. I stopped a few feet behind the now stationary car in front of me.
The car in front then slowly moved off, driving partly on lane 3 and partly on the central reservation, to reveal a stationary car straddling lanes 2 and 3. We followed the car in front and my wife turned to look at the stationary car, saying that it was badly smashed in at the front.
Lo and behold, about 50 yards or so ahead, on the hard shoulder, was said Tesla Model S, with what looked to be a slightly damaged back end.
I can only guess at what might have happened, but to get back on topic, I've no idea whether the AEB had kicked in on Mrs's car, whether it was down to EBA, or just my being tuned in to the road and traffic conditions, having driven about 400 miles a day for each of the last three days on our way back from Northern Italy, and being totally concentrated on the job in hand. Might have been my innate driving skill of course .
Just my two penn'orth on the topic |
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