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News and Articles

04/06/2007
ROLLOVER RULES IMPOSED

The Toronto Star

U.S. will require all vehicles by 2012 to onclude electronic stability control.

By Ken Thomas

NEW YORK - All new vehicles will be required to have anti-rollover technology by the 2012 model year, the U.S. government said yesterday, predicting the requirememnt could prevent thousands of road deaths annually.

The U.S. transportation department said "electronic stability control," or ESC, could save betweeb 5,300 and 9,600 lives and prevent up to 238,000 injuries a year once it is fully deployed across the United States. "like air bags and like seat belts, 10 years down the road we're going to look back and wonder how the ESC technology was ever lived without,"Transportation Secretary Mary peters said at the new York International Auto Show.

Electronic stability control senses when a driver may lose control of their vehicle and automatically applied break to individual wheels to help stabilize it and aboid a rollover.

Many vehicles, including sport-utility vehicles, already have the technology, and several auto makers plan to make it a standard feature. The madate has been widely supported in the industry because of its safety benefits.

"There seems to be general recognition from auto manufacturers and the suppliers and safety advocates that this is technology that will save" Nason, administrator of the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

More than 43,000 people are killed annualy on U.S. roadways. Safety advocates view electronic stability control as a major advancement because it holds the potential of reducing rollover deaths.

More than 10,000 people will die in rollover accidents a year, even when only 3 percent of crashes involve rollovers

Peter said nearly 40 percent of all 2007 vehicles already have the technology, including about 90 per cent of SUVs.

NHTSA said the proposal would cost about $111 (U.S.) per vehicle on those that already include anti-lock brakes, or a total of $479 per vehicle for the entire system. Auto makers will need to complu with a test involving double-lane change at 80 kilometres an hour.

Stablity control will be implemented from 2009, when 55 percent of new vehicles will need to have it. by 2011, it will be in 95 per cent of new vehicles.