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The government, impressed by the promise of anti-rollover technology, is expected today to require automakers to include electronic stability control devices on all new vehicles in the coming years. The technology has been hailed by automakers, suppliers and safety advocates for its potential in reducing traffic deaths and rollovers.
"Electronic stability control is the single most important advance in auto safety since the development of the seatbelt," said David Champion, senior director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports. "We are pleased to see NHTSA recognizing the value of this system."
About 40% of new vehicles have it as standard equipment and auto industry officials expect it to be available on all vehicles by 2010. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today unveiled proposed rules for stability control that also will include testing standards for auto manufacturers.
One study found that stability control could lead to a reduction of 10,000 deaths a year if all vehicles had the technology, almost one-quarter of the more than 43,000 people killed on the roads annually.
"These are staggering statistics compared to most safety technologies that are installed on the vehicles today. This technology will save lives," said William Kozyra, president and CEO of Continental Automotive Systems, North America, a leading supplier of stability control.
Kozyra called it "the most important automotive safety technology of our generation."
How the system works
The crash-avoidance technology compares the direction the car is moving with its intended path and senses when a driver may lose control, automatically applying brakes to individual wheels to help make it stable and avoid a rollover. Many sport-utility vehicles, vans and pickups already have the equipment.NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason has said the agency will mandate the equipment, estimating it would save 10,600 lives when fully implemented into the fleet. During a July hearing before Congress, she said it "could be the greatest safety innovation since the safety belt."
Rollovers have had particularly fatal consequences, leading to more than 10,000 deaths a year despite accounting for only about 3% of all crashes. SUVs and other vehicles with high centers of gravity have been susceptible to rollovers.
Automakers have been receptive to the technology and have indicated little resistance in the decision to mandate the equipment because they have already begun to include it on their vehicles, especially on rollover-prone SUVs. Ford and GM had previously announced plans to include the systems on all their vehicles.
Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator and head of Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog, called electronic stability control "breakthrough technology" but said it would be difficult to predict how many lives it could save.
Early in the development of the air bag, she said initial studies predicted it could save about 9,000 people a year, much higher than the 2,300 lives it saves annually.
"Until you get it into production and onto vehicles, you don't know how large the numbers are going to be," Claybrook said.
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earlier this year predicted 10,000 deaths could be prevented a year if passenger vehicles had the technology. The study found stability control reduced the risk of single-vehicle rollovers involving SUVs by 80%.
One of the benefits of stability control is that it doesn't require anything from the driver. While other crash avoidance technologies, such as lane departure warning, require the driver to react, stability control senses the vehicle veering out of control and stabilizes it.
More from MSN Money and MSN Autos
Where you’ll find ESC
About half of all 2006 vehicles -- many of them rollover-prone SUVs -- have stability control standard; the systems are optional at a cost of as much as $900 on 19% more. But there are few takers for such a pricey option. Said Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis, "A take rate of 20% would be a pretty high number for any safety feature."The system is a $650 option for 2007 in the nation's bestselling car, the Toyota Camry. Toyota says only 15% of 2007 Camrys sold so far have stability control.
| 2006 models with ESC* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Model | Availability | Model | Availability |
Acura MDX | Standard | Land Rover Range Rover | Standard |
Acura RL | Standard | Land Rover Range Rover Sport | Standard |
Acura TL | Standard | Lexus ES 330 | Optional |
Acura TSX | Standard | Lexus GS 300/430 | Standard |
Audi A3 | Standard | Lexus GX 470 | Standard |
Audi A4 | Standard | Lexus IS 250/350 | Standard |
Audi A6 | Standard | Lexus LS 430 | Standard |
Audi A8 | Standard | Lexus LX 470 | Standard |
Audi S4 | Standard | Lexus RX 330 | Standard |
Audi TT | Standard | Lexus RX 400h | Standard |
BMW 3 Series | Standard | Lexus SC 430 | Standard |
BMW 5 Series | Standard | Lincoln LS | Optional |
BMW 6 Series | Standard | Lincoln Navigator | Standard |
BMW 7 Series | Standard | Maserati Quattroporte Sedan | Standard |
BMW M3 | Standard | Mazda MX-5/Miata | Optional |
BMW M5 | Standard | Mazda RX-8 | Optional |
BMW M6 | Standard | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | Standard |
BMW X3 | Standard | Mercedes-Benz CLK/CLS-Class | Standard |
BMW X5 | Standard | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | Standard |
BMW Z4 | Standard | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | Standard |
Buick LaCrosse | Optional | Mercedes-Benz M-Class | Standard |
Buick Lucerne | Optional | Mercedes-Benz R-Class | Standard |
Buick Rainier | Standard | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | Standard |
Buick Terraza | Optional | Mercedes-Benz SL-Class | Standard |
Cadillac CTS | Optional | Mercedes-Benz SLK/SLR Class | Standard |
Cadillac DTS | Optional | Mercury Mountaineer | Standard |
Cadillac Escalade | Standard | Mercury Monterey | Optional |
Cadillac Escalade ESV | Standard | MINI Cooper | Optional |
Cadillac Escalade EXT | Standard | Mitsubishi Montero | Standard |
Cadillac SRX | Standard | Mitsubishi Endeavor | Optional |
Cadillac STS | Standard | Nissan 350Z | Optional |
Cadillac XLR | Standard | Nissan Armada | Standard |
Chevrolet Avalanche | Standard | Nissan Frontier | Optional |
Chevrolet Corvette | Standard | Nissan Maxima | Optional |
Chevrolet Express 1500 Van | Optional | Nissan Murano | Optional |
Chevrolet Suburban | Standard | Nissan Pathfinder | Standard |
Chevrolet Tahoe | Standard | Nissan Quest | Optional |
Chevrolet Trailblazer | Standard | Nissan Titan | Optional |
Chevrolet Uplander | Optional | Nissan Xterra | Standard |
Chrysler 300 | Optional | Pontiac G6 | Optional |
Chrysler Crossfire | Standard | Pontiac Grand Prix | Optional |
Dodge Charger | Optional | Pontiac Montana SV6 | Optional |
Dodge Durango | Optional | Pontiac Vibe | Optional |
Dodge Magnum | Optional | Porsche 911 | Standard |
Ford E-350 Van | Standard | Porsche Boxster | Optional |
Ford Expedition | Optional | Porsche Cayenne | Standard |
Ford Explorer | Standard | Porsche Cayman | Standard |
Ford Freestar | Optional | Saab 9.3 | Standard |
GMC Envoy | Standard | Saab 9.5 | Standard |
GMC Envoy XL | Standard | Saab 9.7x | Standard |
GMC Savana Van | Optional | Saturn Relay | Optional |
GMC Yukon | Standard | Saturn VUE | Optional |
GMC Yukon XL | Standard | Subaru B9 Tribeca | Standard |
Honda Accord | Optional | Subaru Outback | Optional |
Honda Accord Hybrid | Standard | Suzuki Grand Vitara | Standard |
Honda CR-V | Standard | Toyota Avalon | Optional |
Honda Odyssey | Standard | Toyota Camry | Optional |
Honda Pilot | Standard | Toyota Corolla | Optional |
Honda Ridgeline | Standard | Toyota FJ Cruiser | Standard |
Hyundai Azera | Standard | Toyota Highlander | Standard |
Hyundai Sonata | Standard | Toyota Highlander Hybrid | Standard |
Hyundai Tiburon | Optional | Toyota Landcruiser | Standard |
Hyundai Tucson | Standard | Toyota Matrix | Optional |
Infiniti FX35/45 | Standard | Toyota Prius | Optional |
Infiniti G35 | Standard | Toyota RAV4 | Standard |
Infiniti M35/45 | Standard | Toyota Scion xB | Standard |
Infiniti Q45 | Standard | Toyota Sequoia | Standard |
Infiniti QX56 | Standard | Toyota Sienna | Optional |
Isuzu Ascender 5 | Standard | Toyota Tacoma | Optional |
Isuzu Ascender 7 | Standard | Toyota Tundra | Optional |
Jaguar X-Type Sportwagon | Standard | Volkswagen Golf/GTI | Optional |
Jaguar S-Type | Standard | Volkswagen Jetta | Optional |
Jaguar XJ Series | Standard | Volkswagen New Beetle | Standard |
Jaguar XK Series | Standard | Volkswagen new Golf | Optional |
Jaguar X-Type | Optional | Volkswagen Passat | Standard |
Jeep Commander | Standard | Volkswagen Phaeton | Standard |
Jeep Grand Cherokee | Standard | Volkswagen Touareg | Standard |
Jeep Liberty | Standard | Volvo S40 | Optional |
Kia Amanti | Optional | Volvo S60 | Optional |
Kia Optima | Optional | Volvo S80 | Optional |
Kia Rio | Optional | Volvo V50 | Optional |
Kia Sedona | Optional | Volvo V70 | Optional |
Kia Sportage | Standard | Volvo XC70 | Optional |
Land Rover LR-3 | Standard | Volvo XC90 | Standard |
*Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
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