VIRGINIA, Sept. 14 /eoecho.com | PR News/ – A proposal to require auto manufacturers to install electronic stability control (ESC) as a standard feature on all new passenger vehicles has the potential to save more than 10,000 lives every year, according to a statement issued today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).The proposed DOT rule would require all manufacturers to begin equipping passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds with ESC starting with the 2009 model year and to have the feature available as standard equipment on all vehicles by the 2012 model year.
ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels. The result is better driver control of the vehicle and fewer accidents. And, according to a 2004 study by NHTSA, ESC can reduced fatalities in single-vehicle crashes by 30 percent for passenger cars and 63 percent for SUVs.
NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason called electronic stability control for cars, “the greatest life saving improvement since the safety belt.”
The agency estimates that ESC will save between 5,300 and 10,300 lives annually and prevent between 168,000 and 252,000 injuries. ESC will prevent between 4,200 and 5,400 of the more than 10,000 deaths that occur each year as a result of rollover crashes.
According the NHTSA’s proposed regulation, the average cost is estimated to be $111 per vehicle for vehicles that already include ABS brakes. Since 2004, NHTSA has urged manufacturers to voluntarily add ESC as standard equipment. About 29 percent of all 2006 models - 57 percent of SUVs - are currently equipped with ESC.
Mercedes-Benz pioneered ESP® stability control. According to a Mercedes-Benz USA press release, also issued today, NHTSA analyzed more than 40,000 collisions over a period of six years, focusing on similar vehicles with and without stability control. Stability control systems are now being used by several auto manufacturers. Read more
