With the advancement of research and development by car manufacturers, modern car models are now equipped with a number of innovative safety features that ensure the safety of the driver and passengers. Some of these safety features have become standard in models while the others still have an exclusive nature and are anticipated to be introduced in all upcoming vehicles.
These car safety features have a preventive as well as precautionary nature but most of them just to minimize the probability of a dangerous road collision. Emergency Brake Assist is one such car safety feature found in vehicles. It is a feature that enhances the braking power when a driver applies the brakes in emergency and makes sure that the vehicle comes to a halt in order to avoid a front end collision. With the aid of the Anti-lock Brake System, the wheels are not locked in case of emergency braking.
The Reason for Emergency Brake Assist
The Emergency Brake Assist may be great for emergency purposes but there is surely a few skepticism regarding it. Some say that considering all the other braking features available in a typical car already, why a driver would need such a braking assist. What if the brake assists cause jerky stops every time the driver taps on the brake? Other critics say that such features take out the thrill of driving and the use of your intuition.
So considering all these arguments, what is the reason for having the Emergency Brake Assist in vehicles? According to research, when drivers are faced with an emergency situation, they tend to react in panic and at times don’t apply full pressure on the brakes or they apply the brakes too late. That is why Mercedes-Benz introduced this safety feature in the 1990s in order to aid drivers in reducing their stopping distance, as a result avoiding collision.
This features also has a driver-adaptive system. When you are not in need of this brake assist, especially during a cruising traffic, the system judges and monitors the drivers driving pattern and adjusts accordingly.
How does the Emergency Brake Assist Work?
The main purpose of introducing the Emergency brake Assist in vehicles is to prevent a fatal accident by eliminating possible human errors at the time of imminent emergency situation. This feature can work in association with an electronic control unit or as a mechanical system.
One of the main settings the system requires it to work in perfect synchronization is defining a threshold for braking. This threshold is added when the driver applies the brake harder. In other words, the system defines a limit, which allows the level of pressing the brake pedal as normal. The Emergency Brake Assist is activated when the driver presses the brake beyond the threshold braking pressure. This activation allows maximum pressure on the brakes in order to get the vehicle to a complete stop and avoid a collision.
When it comes to the driver-adaptive system in this safety feature, it can set and adjust a braking threshold by monitoring the behavior of the driver in an emergency or panic situation. On the other hand, this brake threshold is pre-fixed in mechanical Emergency Brake Assist. Nevertheless, both systems are activated when extra pressure is applied on the brake pedal, crossing the threshold. This allows the locking mechanism to take over the braking control from the conventional brake piston and provides extra force through a brake booster in order to make the vehicle to come to an instant halt.
Also read: Car Safety Tips for Protection against Fire Hazards
Difference between the Emergency Brake Assist and Automatic Emergency Braking System
There are certain car safety features that are similar in names and functionalities. This creates some confusion among the car buyers as to which one would be suitable for them. One such example is the confusion between the Emergency Brake Assist and Automatic Emergency Braking System. They may sound and seem similar but they surely are designed differently with different capabilities.
Automatic Emergency Braking System is designed to be more technologically smarter and automatic as compared to the Emergency Brake Assist. Automatic Emergency Braking System is advanced in the sense that it automatically applied brakes when it detects a collision with a vehicle or any object ahead. This is where the Emergency Brake Assist lacks as it relies on the driver for applying brakes first and then it provides maximum force for braking, to help the vehicle to come to a stop.
Usefulness of the Emergency Brake Assist
The ideology behind the introduction of such a car safety feature is to cater to possible human errors during a panic or emergency situation. Individuals fail to react appropriately that could mitigate an emergency situation especially when they are in a state of shock or panic. That is when a technologically advanced feature like Emergency Brake Assist helps in bridging that human error the next time they have a cyclist come in front, all of a sudden on a highway, and have to make a sudden stop.
The Emergency Brake Assist understands such panic human behaviours based on pre-set braking threshold and adds to the braking power even if the driver doesn’t apply the brakes with the required force to stop the vehicle. With this safety feature installed in the car, the driver doesn’t necessarily have to apply full force on the brake pedal; just enough to cross the preset threshold and activate the system.
In the UAE, with the increase of run-over accident in the recent months, the usefulness and significance of having such a car safety feature become imminent. With the Emergence Brake Assist feature, the error on the part of the drivers will have the chance to be eliminated and the vehicles can stop instantly, as a result reducing the risk of a run-over accident.
Limitation of the Emergency Brake Assist
Being a precautionary car safety feature, the Emergency Brake Assist is not devoid of its fair share of limitations. In order for it to be activated, it is dependent on the driver’s initial reaction in the face of imminent emergency situation or potential collision. In case the driver doesn’t apply the brakes on time or not enough that would trigger the system, this feature will not be of any use. There is lack of radar sensors in this car safety feature, therefore it cannot detect a possible collision situation automatically.
Despite the presence of Emergency Brake Assist in your vehicle, if you remain inattentive while you drive and do not know how to make use of this feature, you have an equal chance of meeting a fatal accident compared to driving a car without this feature. Therefore, at the end of the day, it becomes important for the driver to invest their full attention on the road while driving for the sake of themselves and other passengers.
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