Had an accident...

[ScotteZ]

As I was coming to a complete stop behind a transport truck/trailer, my foot slipped off the brake and onto the gas as I was applying the final pressure to stop the vehicle. It is winter here so I use chill mode and reduce the brake regeneration to give tires better traction.

The vehicle accelerated forward (less than 10') into the rear of the truck and crunched the front end. (20K CDN damages to repair)

Should the emergency braking have stopped the vehicle before the collision? I was not using auto-pilot or cruise control at the time.

 

[cgell]

Both automatic emergency braking and obstacle-aware acceleration can help avoid or reduce an impact if they are on, but neither are guarantees that you won’t crash. And neither shift the liability at all as the driver is always responsible. The vehicle most likely reduced acceleration, warned of a potential impact, and then braked all within a fraction of a second. But again, that doesn’t mean you won’t crash.

You said your foot “slipped”, but most likely you moved your foot incorrectly whether or not you realized. It can happen to anyone. It would be very hard for a foot to slip to the other pedal unless you have a very odd driving style with your feet. In any case, sorry to hear about the crash and I’m glad you’re ok.

 

[DanDi58]

The emergency braking, according to the OM, is not designed to avoid an impact, just to reduce the severity. The OM also notes that one of the conditions that emergency braking doesn't engage (or disengages if in use) is if you "accelerate hard"....

 

[preilly44]

The way I understand it is the car always defers to the driver, so if you stepped on the accelerator that would take priority over the car's auto emergency braking. The same goes for lane keep assist.

 

[Madsen203]

The way I understand it is the car always defers to the driver, so if you stepped on the accelerator that would take priority over the car's auto emergency braking. The same goes for lane keep assist.

Which is a good thing considering the chance of phantom braking in some vehicles and accelerating is the best way to overcome it temporarily.