SpeedyV6

June 13, 2006
Electronic Stability Control Could Cut Fatal Highway Crashes by 10,000
By NICK BUNKLEY

As many as 10,000 fatal highway crashes could be prevented each year if all vehicles were equipped with technology that helps drivers maintain control at high speeds and on slippery roads, a new study shows.

The technology, called electronic stability control, applies the brakes to individual wheels or cuts back the engine power when sensors detect the vehicle is beginning to spin or skid.

The study, to be released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, compared crash rates for vehicles equipped with the stability control and earlier versions of the same models. The institute found that the stability control reduced the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by nearly 80 percent and the chances of all types of fatal collisions by 43 percent.

"It's second only to seat belts in terms of life-saving benefits," said Susan Ferguson, senior vice president for research at the insurance institute. "It should be standard on all vehicles."

Stability control was developed in the 1990's, but only in the last few years have automakers been including it on many of their vehicles. It is offered on just over half of 2006 models as either a standard feature or an option.

Although previous studies by the insurance institute and other agencies have shown the technology to have a great deal of potential, few car shoppers select it. As a stand-alone option, stability control generally costs $300 to $800, the institute said, although some manufacturers bundle it as part of packages costing more than $2,000.

"A lot of people don't ask about it," said Mark Saba, leasing manager at the Mike Barney Nissan dealership in Amherst, N.Y. "I don't think many even know what it is."

One reason, Ms. Ferguson said, is that manufacturers promote the technology under different names, making it difficult for consumers to realize whether their vehicle is equipped. It is called StabiliTrak by General Motors, AdvanceTrac by Ford Motor, Vehicle Skid Control by Toyota Motor and Dynamic Stability Control by several luxury brands.

G.M. plans to make StabiliTrak standard on all of its sport utility vehicles and vans by the end of 2007. It has already equipped its full-size and midsize S.U.V.'s with the technology.

Honda has made stability control standard on all of its S.U.V.'s, and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler plans to do so this year. Automakers expect the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to mandate stability control within several years.

Several years ago, Ford demonstrated the effectiveness of its AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control, which uses an additional sensor to monitor a vehicle's rollover danger, by strapping a full-size refrigerator on top of a large S.U.V. Even in the harshest maneuvers, "all four wheels were just glued to the ground," said Dan Jarvis, a Ford spokesman.

Ford, which first used stability control in 1999 on the Lincoln LS sedan, says its system is the only one able to measure how much a vehicle is tipping and correct the problem; other manufacturers' stability control sensors estimate the rollover potential.

The insurance institute study found that stability control cut single-vehicle accident rates for S.U.V.'s in half. Single-vehicle crash rates for passenger cars fell by a third.

Two years ago, when fewer vehicles were equipped with stability control, the institute conducted a similar study of its effectiveness. The earlier study found a 34 percent reduction in fatal crash rates. The new study showed a larger overall decline — 43 percent.

Most consumers do not seem to grasp the benefit of stability control and other behind-the-scenes safety features until they need it to avoid a crash, said Mr. Saba, the Nissan dealership manager. Many shoppers simply view it as an add-on that they can do without to keep the vehicle's price down.

"They'd rather have their power sunroof," Mr. Saba said. "That they can see."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/au...stability.html

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Instead of making everything an electronic aid, why don't we start by training our drivers better. I get the feeling that if the drivers throughout the country didn't suck so much, it would be much less necessary to put all these electronic driving aids on our cars.

Maximized

These devices came out of Europe, specifically Germany. It's not that people don't know how to drive(I don't disagree with you there), rather you have to be an experienced driver with experience at the limit in order to outdrive the Electronic Aids. The electronic aids react faster and correctly, whereas 99% of drivers on the road can't.

fsttyms1

Why not just teach our shitty drivers here which are causing manufacturers to come up wioth this crap to drive better and pay more attention to the road.

charliemike

I'm too busy talking on my cellphone while eating a yogurt with a spoon and at the same time changing the station on my radio while telling my kids in teh backseat to quiet down or I'm not going to finish putting the Finding Nemo DVD in for them.

Maximized

Again, this technology was first implemented by Bosch in Germany. We would all agree that German drivers are much more disiplined than US drivers. It's not a driver issue, rather it's that 99% of drivers aren't skilled enough to know what the car does in emergency situations and the proper way to react. In order to teach our "shitty drivers" here in the US to do the above, they would have to attend a performance driving school like Skip Barber or Bondurant.

Stability control is a great technology, especially for SUV's and larger vehicles. IMO it should be mandated by the gov't much like Airbags.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

While I don't disagree with you there, I feel like that our drivers have become too reliant on electronic aids. Rather than having a solid understanding of how the dynamics of a moving car work, they simply tell themselves that the stability control system will save them, which I think is the wrong attitude.

Having an electronic aid for emergency situations is completely understandable, but needing it because you don't know the limitations of your own driving skills and have no interest in learning seems foolish in my mind.

I know this study was done outside the US, but the implications it will have on the US auto industry and its unique set of conditions does need to be examined.

dom

And they remove the "off" switch ala Toyota.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Oh hell no! Give me my damn off switch! Some of us actually know how to drive and enjoy experiencing the full potential of the car under our own control.

mrdeeno

You guys give the general population too much credit.

And most politicians would prefer a less smart general population anyway...It's smarter to teach a man to fish than it is to feed him, but it's easier to control the man when you feed him than when you teach him.

F23A4

Indeed.

F23A4

...this moron must be a sleeper agent for Nader.

Dan Martin

Active Safety > Passive Safety

Vehicle stability should be manditory since it's really not that costly to add to cars and it has a number of benefits. So long as the car has ABS, all you need is a little black box somewhere in the car to get stability control.

I also totally agree that 99.999% of the population has sub-par driving skills. It's amazing to me that you can pass a test when you're 16 and you don't have to take another one for the rest of your life. Personally, I think everyone should have to take a refresher course every 4 years. The course should also teach collision avoidance and car control at speed so people will no what to expect in an emergency. Most people either freeze up or overreact to an emergency.

Every dollar spent on training would come back ten-fold in insurance savings and health care costs.