Thousands of fatal highway crashes could be avoided every year if all vehicles — and especially sport utility vehicles — were equipped with technology that gives drivers greater ability to maintain control during high-speed maneuvers and on slippery roads, according to a new study.
The study, released Tuesday by the Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, found that electronic stability control reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by nearly 80 percent and the chances of all types of fatal collisions by 43 percent. The study compared crash rates for stability control-equipped vehicles with rates for earlier versions of the same models without the technology.
Researchers estimate that if all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year. There were 1,661 traffic fatalities in D.C., Maryland and Virginia in 2004, according to highway safety officials.
“The findings indicate that ESC should be standard on all vehicles,” says Susan Ferguson, Institute senior vice president for research. “Very few safety technologies show this kind of large effect in reducing crash deaths.”
A similar study by the Institute led some manufacturers to announce plans to make ESC standard on all SUVs. The reduction in the risk of single-vehicle crashes was significantly greater for SUVs — 49 percent versus 33 percent for cars.
Nearly 1 in 4 drivers in the Washington region drives an SUV, according to a recent regional study.
The technology is standard on every 2006 Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Mercedes, and Porsche and at least optional on Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo vehicles. The technology is only available, standard or optional, on 25 percent or fewer models from Chevrolet, Dodge,Ford, Hummer, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Saturn, Subaru and Suzuki.
More details
» As a stand-alone option, ESC costs from about $300 to $800.
» A potential problem for increasing consumer awareness is that automakers market ESC by various names, including Electronic Stability Program, StabiliTrack and Active Handling.
