The electronic stability control (ESC) system is an inexpensive and vital part of most motor vehicles. A vehicle's brakes are applied individually at one or more of its wheels to correct an imbalance or to restore traction whenever the driver makes an extreme maneuver. The ESC system helps to prevent rollover accidents. Despite the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) mandating inclusion of this system in all vehicles by 2012, many auto manufacturers have failed to place this technology in a number of their vehicles.
The NHTSA estimates that the cost of ESC is about $111 per vehicle, although some automakers place the figure at $400 or more if other components are included. Still, the ESC system has been estimated to prevent potentially hundreds of thousands of auto injuries and up to 10,000 fatalities. The ESC comes into play when a driver loses control of his vehicle as a result of skidding or over-steering. The technology safely stabilizes the vehicle and puts it back on track. It is especially useful on slippery and icy roads by providing more traction and preventing fishtailing and rollovers.
An Australian study found that the ESC system cuts the risk of single-car crashes in which the driver was injured by 28 percent, as well as single four-wheel drive crashes in which the driver was injured by 66 percent. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that ESC reduces the risk of a fatal crash by one-third.
Approximately 85 percent of all 2010 vehicles had ESC as standard equipment, with 100 percent of all SUVs but only 88 percent of cars and 62 percent of pickup trucks. Smaller vehicles would especially benefit from ESC because of their weight disadvantage with most other vehicles and in multiple-car accidents.
Autos that have yet to include ESC are less expensive models, many of which have been given low safety ratings for poor rear or side impact scores from the IIHS. For example, 2011 models without ESC include the Chevrolet Aveo, Dodge Caliber, Honda Civic, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Nissan Frontier, Suzuki SX4 and Mazda RX-8.
Some of these vehicles cost close to $30,000, but fail to include ESC unless the buyer upgrades to an even more expensive model. Buyers are cautioned to inquire whether a particular model has ESC.
