Electronic Stability Control Could Cut Highway Fatalities by 10,000
By NICK BUNKLEY
Published: June 13, 2006
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.''