The article mentions that drivers usually fail to apply the brakes fully when attempting a panic stop. Some cars include brake assist systems that automatically

The article mentions that drivers usually fail to apply the brakes fully when attempting a panic stop. Some cars include brake assist systems that automatically apply full brakes when the driver presses the pedal suddenly enough. I had the opportunity to give such a system a real-world test a couple years ago. I came over a crest on a German autobahn at just under 100 MPH (160 km/h) in a Volkswagen Crafter (a large van) to find a traffic jam in front of me. It's an odd experience; there's a snapping noise, and the pedal pressure is reduced to almost nothing. For an instant, I actually thought something had burst in the hydraulic system and the brakes had failed. The system applied the brakes as hard as the ABS would let it until I released the pedal.