Currently, active steering systems are implemented in production vehicles to assist the driver by varying the steering response, where the adaptation of the steering response is either initiated by the vehicle or by the driver. Though studies have shown that these steering systems affect the steering performance positively, the effect on driving behavior and driver acceptance is not taken into account. Moreover, the effect of machine-initiated and driver-initiated steering systems on the driver has yet to be investigated. The aim of this driving simulator study was to examine the effects of machine-initiated and driver-initiated steering systems on driving behavior and driver acceptance. During the experiment, the machine switched between a slow and fast steering response on predetermined locations based on the traffic conditions and road curvature, and the driver could switch the steering response by pressing a mouse-button which was attached to the steering wheel. The expectation was that the preferred steering response would be dependent on the steering task, and that between machine- and driver-initiated steering there would be a trade-off between effort and acceptance. Twenty-four participants drove with a constant velocity on a two-lane road with three sections i.e. overtaking traffic vehicles, driving on a straight road and driving on a curved road. Four conditions were completed in a counter-balanced order i.e. passive slow steering response (PS), passive fast steering response (PF), machine-initiated steering (MI) and driver-initiated steering (DI). A post-experiment questionnaire showed that the participants had a preferred steering response for each of the three sections: between slow and fast for overtaking, slow on the straight road, and fast on the curved road. Furthermore, a lower effort and higher acceptance was achieved with the active steering systems compared to the passive steering systems, where there were no significant differences between MI and DI. For future research, it is recommended to further investigate the use of a range of steering responses and free driving speed.