Supplier Urges NHTSA to Push ESC

Continental Teves Inc. is looking to the U.S. government for a little help in promoting its Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system.

The supplier is pushing for more advocacy from federal regulators, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin., with regard to ESC, says Philip Headley, Continental Teves North America chief engineer-advanced technologies.

Headley says the government does a good job promoting passive safety measures, such as use of seatbelts and child seats, and it educates about the dangers of drunken driving. But it does little to encourage buyers to choose ESC, which uses sensors to detect when a vehicle is about to skid out of control and maintains stability by selectively applying antilock brakes at each wheel.

“(The programs) are great, but spend some money on some other things that are proven to help,” Headley says. Passive-safety and road-environment measures are secondary to active safety controls in saving lives, he says.

NHTSA estimates 70% of traffic-related deaths potentially are preventable by seatbelt use and elimination of drunk drivers from the road. The agency is focusing most of its energy on increasing compatibility between SUVs and smaller cars, reducing rollovers and improving crash data, NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge says.

As proof ESC can save lives by helping to avoid crashes, Headley points to a recent University of Iowa study partially funded by Continental and competitor Robert Bosch GmbH, which suggests ESC-equipped vehicles are 34% more effective at avoiding collisions.

Continental is pressing for NHTSA to expedite its plans to conduct an independent stability-control study, in addition to allocating some of its budget toward educating consumers on the advantages of the technology. With greater awareness of the benefits, buyers may choose ESC over aluminum wheels or moonroofs when it is offered as an option, he says.

NHTSA spent $112 million last year educating drivers about seatbelt use; $150 million on alcohol awareness programs; and $165 million on other highway safety programs. It reports no money spent on educating drivers on the effectiveness of ESC or antilock brakes, or how to use them.

Most high-end or high-priced SUVs and luxury cross/utility vehicles come with either standard or optional stability systems, and at least 38% of car models are available with the function, according to Ward's data. Of those, 37% have stability control as standard equipment.