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by LanceH 3466 days ago
I'm curious if you really want the brakes on full when you get hit from behind. It seems the cars would start to crumple in place until firmly together and you overcome friction, getting launched. With the brakes off, you would immediately accelerate, but perhaps with a lesser initial burst.

That's the decision I had to make one day. I saw a car coming to hit me from the rear. I took my foot off the brake and gripped the steering wheel, leaned back and relaxed. It worked out well, but I've always wondered if the brakes make any difference one way or the other.

2 comments

I think you misread me. I was suggesting the computer don't put the break on full when stationary, but only enough to keep the car still (as the road may not be flat etc).
I was just using your comment as a starting point.
The opposite, you should release the brakes to reduce the effect of the impact so you actually acted correctly.
Thanks, the scientist part of me said this was correct. That just left a conflict between the experimentalist part of me and what my wife will allow.