Patent ID: 8638204

Claim:
A driver assistance system for a vehicle, comprising: an environment sensor and an evaluation unit that are configured to identify a potential hazardous traffic situation; an actuator configured for activation by said evaluation unit and further configured to execute three different types of intervention according to a degree of hazard of the potential hazardous traffic situation, wherein the evaluation unit is further configured to: determine whether a time to collision (TTC) is greater than a first limiting value; determine whether the TTC is greater than a second limiting value when the TTC is determined not to be greater than the first limiting value; determine whether the TTC is greater than a third limiting value when the TTC is determined not to be greater than the second limiting value; trigger a warning intervention when the TTC is determined to be greater than the first limiting value; trigger a hazard mitigating intervention when the TTC is determined to be greater than the third limiting value, wherein the hazard mitigating intervention comprises partial braking; trigger an emergency intervention of the actuator when the TTC is determined not to be greater than the third limiting value, wherein the emergency intervention comprises complete braking.