Driver assistance system for a motor vehicle for assisting a driver of the motor vehicle during longitudinal guidance of the motor vehicle, wherein the driver assistance system is designed - to detect an obstacle (8, 9) located in front of the motor vehicle in the direction of travel, based on environmental data provided by an environmental sensor system, and - according to a first functionality, to initiate an emergency braking intervention in order to bring the motor vehicle to a standstill in order to avoid an otherwise imminent collision with the detected obstacle (8, 9), wherein the driver assistance system is also designed to initiate, according to a second functionality, a longitudinal guidance intervention, which is attenuated compared to the emergency braking intervention, to slow down the motor vehicle as soon as the obstacle (8, 9) is detected and before the motor vehicle has come so close to the obstacle (8, 9) that the collision can only be prevented by the emergency braking intervention, characterized in that the driver assistance system is designed to effect the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention only for a predetermined period of time after the obstacle (8, 9) has been detected and to terminate it before the motor vehicle has come so close to the obstacle (8, 9) that the collision can only be prevented by the emergency braking intervention, so that, after the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention has been terminated, the full driving dynamics of the motor vehicle are available to the driver, and to automatically switch from the second functionality to the first functionality when the motor vehicle has come so close to the detected obstacle (8, 9) that the emergency braking intervention is necessary to avoid the collision, wherein the driver assistance system is designed to cause the motor vehicle to switch to overrun mode as the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention, in order to utilize an engine braking effect to slow down the motor vehicle, and/or the driver assistance system is designed to monitor acceleration values of the motor vehicle provided by an acceleration sensor and to automatically control the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention such that a braking acceleration of the motor vehicle of at most 1 m/s 2 is produced. - to detect an obstacle (8, 9) located in front of the motor vehicle in the direction of travel, based on environmental data provided by an environmental sensor system, and - according to a first functionality, to initiate an emergency braking intervention in order to bring the motor vehicle to a standstill in order to avoid an otherwise imminent collision with the detected obstacle (8, 9), wherein the driver assistance system is also designed to initiate, according to a second functionality, a longitudinal guidance intervention, which is attenuated compared to the emergency braking intervention, to slow down the motor vehicle as soon as the obstacle (8, 9) is detected and before the motor vehicle has come so close to the obstacle (8, 9) that the collision can only be prevented by the emergency braking intervention, characterized in that the driver assistance system is designed to effect the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention only for a predetermined period of time after the obstacle (8, 9) has been detected and to terminate it before the motor vehicle has come so close to the obstacle (8, 9) that the collision can only be prevented by the emergency braking intervention, so that, after the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention has been terminated, the full driving dynamics of the motor vehicle are available to the driver, and to automatically switch from the second functionality to the first functionality when the motor vehicle has come so close to the detected obstacle (8, 9) that the emergency braking intervention is necessary to avoid the collision, wherein the driver assistance system is designed to cause the motor vehicle to switch to overrun mode as the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention, in order to utilize an engine braking effect to slow down the motor vehicle, and/or the driver assistance system is designed to monitor acceleration values of the motor vehicle provided by an acceleration sensor and to automatically control the attenuated longitudinal guidance intervention such that a braking acceleration of the motor vehicle of at most 1 m/s 2 is produced.