An Emergency Brake Assist Apparatus

An emergency brake assist apparatus (23) is disclosed which amplifies driver braking force upon imminent contact detection. A brake pedal (28), operated by the driver, exerts a pedal force upon a variable brake booster (30). A braking system (26) is coupled to the variable brake booster (30) causing the braking system to exert a braking force proportional to the pedal force during normal operation but when a forward detection apparatus (20) detects an imminent contact, a controller (24) is arranged to signal the variable brake booster (30) to increase the variable brake booster force such that the braking system (26) exerts an amplified braking force proportional to the pedal force.