[OESY]

A BMW 3 series tailgates a VW Golf bumper
in a test of new safety technology.

WHERE TO GET IT

Models that come with electronic stability control as a standard feature.

ACURA -- TL, RL, MDX, TSX
AUDI -- All models
BMW -- All models
CADILLAC -- All models except CTS, DeVille
CHEVROLET -- Corvette
CHRYSLER -- Crossfire
FORD -- Explorer
HONDA -- CR-V, Odyssey
HYUNDAI -- Tucson
INFINITI -- All models
JAGUAR -- All models
LAND ROVER -- LR3, Range Rover
LEXUS -- All models except ES 330, IS 300
LINCOLN -- Aviator, Navigator
MERCEDES -- All models
MERCURY -- Mountaineer
MITSUBISHI -- Montero
NISSAN -- Pathfinder, Armada
PORSCHE -- All models
SAAB -- 9-3, 9-5, 9-7X
SCION -- xB
TOYOTA -- 4Runner, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Sequoia
VOLVO -- XC90
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

[coder2]

Dumb question...

Is this the same as stabilitrak ?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Anti-Lock brakes (ABS) were supposed to make drivers safer, too, but they didn't because the sense of security drivers get from ABS makes them drive faster.

[OrioleFan]

I can see another $100,000,000. for John Edwards in this...

[Shryke]

You know, I've had a solution to safe driving in my head for many years now. It will also drastically reduce DUIs and DWIs. Hell, everyone will drive safely. My solution:

1. Remove all driver's side seatbelts and airbags.

2. Weld an 8 inch steel spike to the center of the steering wheel.

Input?

[catpuppy]

Jeffrey Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in an interview in September that if research continued to show such strong results, he would consider mandating stability control

Oh that's just great. Another "mandated" safety feature that sends car costs up, fails to provide the promised safety and quite possibly causes deaths in ways not anticipated. Airbags--mandated to make seatbelt use unnecessary (it wasn't) and to make children safer (they aren't) did achieve spectacular success in one area: raising the price of automobiles across the spectrum.

[rabidralph]

Why bother to drive anymore? Smart highways, black box-capable cars? Just put me in a stroller and wheel me to work.

[snooker]

And the cost will be ---

Staying home is cheaper than any vehicle and walking will save you lot's on transportation.

How long did it take for disk brakes to become cheap enough for mass market automobiles.

[Popman]

A government study that came out last month found the technology reduced single-vehicle fatalities by 63% in sport-utility vehicles. SUV single-vehicle crashes fell 67%, while car crashes dropped 35%.

If you look at the list of vehicles that have electronic stability control as a standard feature, most are SUV's.

So these numbers will not be dramatically affected by adding on this additional cost.

I think these numbers are inflated to scare people.

It's still a good idea to have, but why get more government control?

[avg_freeper]

A device that prevents you from driving over 3 miles an hour would save even more lives.

[monday]

"Jeffrey Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said in an interview in September that if research continued to show such strong results, he would consider mandating stability control."

The safety Nazis won't be happy until cars cost so much only the rich can afford them.

[LizardQueen]

They're piling one expensive gadget on after another, but completely ignoring the fact that most drivers are abysmally trained.

Once around the block, parallel park, and now you can go ripping down the superslab at 80 mph. But you're encased in a car that has 10K worth of mandated "safety features" and one day will pretty much drive itself so somehow that's ok.... Dumb dumb dumb.

My plan - make all that crap optional, and mandate only better driver training.

And the day my car drives itself is the day I turn in my keys for good. I drive a stick because I like the total control, when that's taken away from me I may as well take a bus.

LQ

[HamiltonJay]

I am reminded of the "HELP" system in the Airbus that would refuse Pilot input if it decided the pilot needed help.... ended up crashing one of their big planes into the ground..... killing all abord.

[sully777]

Imagine a stability system in 1968 Oldsmobiles: The world would be far different for U-Boat Teddy.

[Truthsayer20]

Have any of you ever driven a car with a modern stability control system? My BMW has one and it works great and really is useful especially in winter conditions! Each wheel's power and/or ABS brakes are automatically and separately modulated if the computer detects lose of traction, a sideways slide etc. Simply put the system makes the car go in the direction the steering is pointed (at if this is physically possible).

You gotta love German automotive engineering!

[Protagoras]

System Could Save 7,000 Lives a Year

Just think how many lives we could save if we banned cars like Al Gore wanted to do?

[Stag]

Here's a safety device to save twice that many lives...when you are driving a vehicle, any vehicle, concentrate on DRIVING only.

[RightWhale]

Problem is that people don't bother to learn how to drive anymore and the cars are so smooth it seems like they drive themselves.