A pedal box for an automobile is designed to collapse in the event of a front-end vehicle collision. A pedal box supports a control pedal of the automobile. The pedal is pivotally mounted on a main pivot shaft which goes through a preferably arcuate elongate slot in the pedal. The main pivot shaft is normally held at one end of the slot by a blocking plate which is held between a pivotal access below the slot and a latch member above the slot. In the case of a frontal impact of the automobile causing entry of the pedal box into the driver's compartment, a relatively rigid member of the automobile contacts the latch member and releases the latching engagement, permitting the blocking plate to fall away and allowing the main pivot shaft to traverse a slot in the pedal together with rotation of the pedal away from contact with the feet of a driver of the automobile. Although the pedal collapses and moves away from the driver's feet, its pivotable mounting is still maintained, so that some element of emergency control can still be established should the automobile still be drivable.