Consider a car driving with given speed $v$ head-on towards a road block of a certain width.
Car and road block are already so close to each other that a collision would not be avoidable anymore by either applying the brakes (to achieve maximum decelaration magnitude, given as $a_{\text{max}}$) while continuing to drive straight,
or else by maintaining speed $v$ while steering towards the nearest edge of the road block (turning a circle with maximum centripetal acceleration magnitude, which is also given as $a_{\text{max}}$) .
Does the driver still have any course of action (using the steering wheel as well as the brakes) by which to avoid the collision?,
where the maximum possible acceleration magnitude of the car shall be $a_{\text{max}}$ in any circumstance,
the length or width of the car may be neglected,
and, of course, road block and pavement remain stationary.
(This question came up reading http://scienceblogs.com/builtonfacts/2013/02/27/quick-hit-the-brakes/ .)