Backing out of my driveway is an adventure all its own. We don’t live on a busy street, but that’s what makes it a bit perilous at times. You never know when there might be a car driving by or someone walking their dog. There’s an illusion of safety because you have to stay vigilant even when there doesn’t seem to be anyone — or anything — around. Recently, I tested the 2025 Subaru Forester Touring and came to appreciate how the vehicle keeps watch at all times, even when you might be distracted.
First, I have come to realize that safety tech can be helpful in a multitude of situations and at varying levels and degrees. Case in point — the Forester does have a back-up camera like all new cars. You can use it to check for traffic or people walking too close behind you. Many makes and models have them and will also beep and chime if there is an obstruction.
That’s one level of protection, but the Forester adds a second level. Reverse Automatic Braking is a relatively new feature in the world of automotive engineering, at least in the sense that it has not made its way to every new model like the back-up camera.
The car can sense an obstruction — including the dogwalkers I mentioned — and come to a stop on its own. I tested the feature multiple times going in reverse and came to see it as one of the most important safety options on the Forester — on par with the back-up cam itself.
The reason is that, as humans, it’s impossible for us to look into all directions at the same time. This is one reason AI is becoming so popular. It’s never hangry, never asleep, never annoyed. RAB simply looks in all directions for you as you drive in reverse, and it doesn’t take a break.
In several instances, the vehicle eased to a stop as a car approached on our road (the one that is never busy). I’ve read some comments that the feature can be over-sensitive but I didn’t experience that myself. It worked when it was needed, but I didn’t have any false alarms.
RAB is helpful because we can’t be on our A-game at all times. I never had instances where I wasn’t looking around as I always do, but I also appreciated having the extra set of “eyes” and also the tech to intercede for me if for some reason I wasn’t braking quickly enough.
That’s where safety tech excels the most. You don’t want it to be so proactive that you feel like you are not in control. I believe this is one of the reasons the Chrysler 200 didn’t survive for too long. The lane-keeping tech in particular was too aggressive to the point where you had to almost fight against it at times. That’s not helpful or needed.
RAB interceded a few times, but not in such an aggressive way that I felt like it was taking over the driving or that I didn’t need to bother looking to the sides as I backed out of my driveway. In the Forester, it’s a smart ally to fight distraction and augment our own vigilance.