# Self braking cars question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830 "2016-12-16T01:58:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vicsage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e68b1a/32.png) [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/1 "2016-12-16T01:58:14Z")
Can you override the brakes of a self braking car? Let’s assume you want to run someone over with your car. Or you want to crash through a gate. Or you want to rear end another car to drive them off the road. If you can’t do these and other similar things, its going to mess up a lot of action sequences in future movies. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/2 "2016-12-16T02:10:29Z")
My 2016 Toyota Avalon has their safety sense package. With the adaptive cruise control it will brake automatically if someone pulls in front of me. But I can step on the gas to override that braking action. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/3 "2016-12-16T14:54:10Z")
In most cars with collision avoidance systems, you can go into the settings and turn those features off. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/4 "2016-12-16T18:50:06Z")
I look forward to the nail biting adjustment of settings buried three levels deep scenes we are about to be subjected to in action movies. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/5 "2016-12-16T19:34:20Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > In most cars with collision avoidance systems, you can go into the settings and turn those features off. That’s my take too. At least on my Wife’s 2016 Subaru Outback we can turn of the VDC traction control. We have too, or she would not get up the drive with more than 3 inches of snow. This doesn’t effect the anti-lock brakes though. You can also turn off the Subaru ‘eye-sight’ (I think) that beeps at you if you are following too close or cross a lane marker. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/6 "2016-12-16T21:53:47Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > This doesn’t \*\*effect \*\*the anti-lock brakes though. \ affect. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-braking-cars-question/774830/7 "2016-12-17T19:55:33Z")
My Subaru manual says that the auto-braking system will only activate if you take no action (meaning no swerving away or braking yourself), or if you’re braking insufficiently hard. It also says that manipulating the steering wheel will disengage the system (it assumes you’re trying to dodge) and although I don’t have a cite handy, I remember it also says that you can actually ACCELERATE into a situation to prevent auto-braking. Basically, what I got from the manual was that the system will try to guess (based on your inputs or lack thereof) whether you’re actually awake and paying attention, and if so, it’ll let you keep control. It’s when you don’t respond that it’ll try to take over. My guess is that it’ll let you accelerate into your death if you really try to override it (accelerating further after you hear the warning beeps), but I don’t have enough cars or lives to try it…