Stability control could prevent 10,000 deaths a year

A report released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests 10,000 crash deaths on American roads could be prevented each year if all vehicles were equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC). The Institute says on otherwise identical vehicles, cars with ESC were overall 43 percent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash. ESC is currently standard equipment on around four out of ten 2006 passenger cars. It's optional another 15 percent. ESC works to prevent many rollovers and other loss of control crashes from occurring.





Indeed, many single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over, and ESC effectiveness in preventing rollovers is even more dramatic. It reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers of SUVs by 80 percent, 77 percent for cars.

Several weeks ago, University of Michigan researchers reached similar conclusions, characterizing the benefits of ESC as "like a guardian angel sitting on the shoulder of the driver."

ESC is standard on every 2006 Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Mercedes, and Porsche. Another 8 vehicle makes (Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo) offer at least optional ESC on all of their models. But ESC, standard or optional, is limited to 25 percent or fewer models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Hummer, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Saturn, Subaru, and Suzuki.

As a stand-alone option, ESC costs from about $300 to $800, but it can cost more than $2,000 on some models when packaged with other equipment.

The IIHS says one reason ESC is not always purchased by consumers is confusion surrounding its name and purpose. That's because ESC goes by various names including Electronic Stability Program, StabiliTrack, Active Handling, and more.

"When ESC is optional, this hodgepodge of terms is bound to be confusing," Ferguson points out. "It's good that some of the major manufacturers have pledged
to make ESC standard on their SUVs in the next few model years, and it should
be standard on cars and pickup trucks too."

How ESC works: Antilock brakes have speed sensors and independent braking capability. ESC adds sensors that continuously monitor how well a vehicle is responding to a driver's steering wheel input. These sensors can detect when a driver is about to lose control because the vehicle is straying from the intended line of travel "” a problem that usually occurs in high-speed maneuvers or on slippery roads. In these circumstances, ESC brakes individual wheels automatically to keep the vehicle under control.

When a driver makes a sudden emergency maneuver or, for example, enters a curve too fast, the vehicle may spin out of control. Then ESC's automatic braking is applied and in some cases throttle reduced to help keep the vehicle under control.