HANDS-OFF STEERING WHEEL GOVERNED BY PEDESTRIAN DETECTION

A vehicle may be steered without a driver's hands being on a vehicle steering control mechanism. A presence of an object within a predetermined distance of the vehicle may be detected using data from at least one object detection sensor that provides data to at least one of a passive safety system, a lane control system, a speed control system, and a brake control system. A steering control mechanism hands-on mode can then be enabled based at least in part on the presence of the object.