Electronic Stability Control for EVERY Car

All vehicles in the U.S. must be equipped with anti-rollover Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems by September 2011. Since 1995, when ESC first came ashore on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, more and more high-end vehicles added the lifesaving technology as standard equipment. Now, the government has ruled that even the humblest passenger car sold in the U.S. must be equipped with ESC.

Small Price to Pay
Announcing the ruling at the New York Auto show, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said, "This technology will save thousands of lives. Like airbags and seat belts, 10 years down the road we will look back at the new ESC technology and wonder how we ever drove a car without it." The addition of ESC, the government says, will cut traffic fatalities by 5,300 to 9,600 a year and reduce injuries by 168,000 to 238,000 per year. The government estimates that adding ESC to every vehicle will up the cost to consumers by $111 a vehicle assuming the vehicles already offers anti-lock brakes.


Not only does the ruling add high-end safety protection to the average consumer's car, but it marks the first time the government has required a specific active safety device that prevents accidents from happening. In the past, the government concentrated only on passive devices like seatbelts and airbags that protect occupants during or after crashes.


Automakers are already voluntarily extending ESC coverage across their models. In 2006, 29 percent of passenger vehicles were equipped with ESC. Nearly 40 percent of 2007 models have ESC systems, including 90 percent of SUVs.

How ESC Works
ESC works by using sensors in the wheels and steering mechanism to keep an eye, so to speak, on the intended steering path, and the overall yaw rate and lateral acceleration of the vehicle. When the system detects a deviation from the driver's intended path—i.e. the back wheels begin to spin out—it applies the brakes in a proportionately appropriate manner to each wheel independently, and may reduce engine torque to provide stability until the vehicle gets back on its intended path. All of this takes place at the speed of a computer—far faster than the reaction time of top athletes. The consensus is that because the system is able to anticipate and intervene to prevent loss of control, it can, therefore, reduce the number of crashes due to driver error and loss of control.