ESP® Stability Control to be Mandated for All Cars
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ESP® Stability Control to be Mandated for All Cars
Latest news from MBUSA:
ESP® Stability Control to be Mandated for All Cars
Mercedes-Benz Safety Innovation Promises to Reduce Accidents Dramatically
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal government announced
today that ESP(R) stability control, a safety system pioneered by
Mercedes-Benz, will be required on all future cars. In making the
announcement, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration
(NHTSA) cited its analysis showing conclusively that cars equipped with
stability control are 35 percent less likely to be involved in a collision.
Additionally, sport utility vehicles with stability control are involved in
67 percent fewer accidents than SUVs without the system. SUVs usually have
a higher center of gravity, and ESP has been found to be especially
effective in reducing rollovers.
NHTSA analyzed more than 40,000 collisions over a period of six years,
focusing on similar vehicles with and without stability control. The
dramatic results include similar reductions in fatal accidents as well.
ESP-equipped cars had 30 percent fewer fatal crashes, and sport utility
vehicles with ESP were 63 percent less likely to be in a deadly collision.
Now being used by other manufacturers, stability control systems reduce
the likelihood of all fatal accidents by 43 percent and fatal
single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent, according to another accident study
by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). When the IIHS
recently updated the results of their 2004 accident study, they found that
stability control provides even more life-saving benefits for SUVs.
Although the safety system provides significant benefits to both cars
and SUVs, sport utility vehicles with stability control are reported to
have 80 percent fewer rollovers than vehicles without the system. The study
also concluded that the risk of all types of single-vehicle crashes in an
SUV was reduced by 49 percent.
The NHTSA and IIHS analysis corroborates a Mercedes-Benz study from
2002 that revealed a 40 percent reduction in "loss of control" accidents
after the company made ESP standard equipment on all models. Studies by
other automakers and the University of Iowa found similar results.
After bringing the industry's first ABS anti-lock brakes and traction
control systems to consumers in the 1980s, Mercedes-Benz collaborated with
Bosch to invent ESP stability control and introduced it in 1995. The new
safety system made its debut on the 1996 S-Class line, became standard
equipment on most Mercedes-Benz models by the 2000 model year and is
standard on all Mercedes-Benz models today.
How Does Stability Control Work?
ESP can sense impending loss of control. The system works in a split
second by braking individual wheels and/or reducing excess engine power,
something that even the most skilled driver cannot do. ESP can be compared
to having four individual brake pedals, one for each wheel, with a powerful
computer to determine which pedal should be applied when and for how long.
The Mercedes-Benz ESP system helps drivers maintain stability,
especially on slippery roads, by helping to prevent oversteer (rear-end
"fishtailing") or understeer (front-end "plowing"). Even the "ESP"
abbreviation helps underscore the system's benefits -- it works invisibly,
seemingly intuitively, to help keep the car going where the driver points
it, under circumstances that might otherwise lead to loss of control and a
possible accident without the system.
Using electronic sensors and lightening-fast computer logic, the system
constantly monitors a vehicle's actual path against its intended path. If
there's any difference between what the driver is "asking" (primarily
through the steering wheel) and what the vehicle is doing, the system works
in a split-second by braking individual wheels and/or reducing excess
engine power, even before the driver may sense any changes.
About Mercedes-Benz USA
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is
responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and
Maybach products in the United States. In 2005, MBUSA achieved an all-time
sales record of 224,421 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever
in its history and achieving 12 consecutive years of sales growth. More
information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at
http://www.mbusa.com and http://www.maybachusa.com.
ESP® Stability Control to be Mandated for All Cars
Mercedes-Benz Safety Innovation Promises to Reduce Accidents Dramatically
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal government announced
today that ESP(R) stability control, a safety system pioneered by
Mercedes-Benz, will be required on all future cars. In making the
announcement, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration
(NHTSA) cited its analysis showing conclusively that cars equipped with
stability control are 35 percent less likely to be involved in a collision.
Additionally, sport utility vehicles with stability control are involved in
67 percent fewer accidents than SUVs without the system. SUVs usually have
a higher center of gravity, and ESP has been found to be especially
effective in reducing rollovers.
NHTSA analyzed more than 40,000 collisions over a period of six years,
focusing on similar vehicles with and without stability control. The
dramatic results include similar reductions in fatal accidents as well.
ESP-equipped cars had 30 percent fewer fatal crashes, and sport utility
vehicles with ESP were 63 percent less likely to be in a deadly collision.
Now being used by other manufacturers, stability control systems reduce
the likelihood of all fatal accidents by 43 percent and fatal
single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent, according to another accident study
by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). When the IIHS
recently updated the results of their 2004 accident study, they found that
stability control provides even more life-saving benefits for SUVs.
Although the safety system provides significant benefits to both cars
and SUVs, sport utility vehicles with stability control are reported to
have 80 percent fewer rollovers than vehicles without the system. The study
also concluded that the risk of all types of single-vehicle crashes in an
SUV was reduced by 49 percent.
The NHTSA and IIHS analysis corroborates a Mercedes-Benz study from
2002 that revealed a 40 percent reduction in "loss of control" accidents
after the company made ESP standard equipment on all models. Studies by
other automakers and the University of Iowa found similar results.
After bringing the industry's first ABS anti-lock brakes and traction
control systems to consumers in the 1980s, Mercedes-Benz collaborated with
Bosch to invent ESP stability control and introduced it in 1995. The new
safety system made its debut on the 1996 S-Class line, became standard
equipment on most Mercedes-Benz models by the 2000 model year and is
standard on all Mercedes-Benz models today.
How Does Stability Control Work?
ESP can sense impending loss of control. The system works in a split
second by braking individual wheels and/or reducing excess engine power,
something that even the most skilled driver cannot do. ESP can be compared
to having four individual brake pedals, one for each wheel, with a powerful
computer to determine which pedal should be applied when and for how long.
The Mercedes-Benz ESP system helps drivers maintain stability,
especially on slippery roads, by helping to prevent oversteer (rear-end
"fishtailing") or understeer (front-end "plowing"). Even the "ESP"
abbreviation helps underscore the system's benefits -- it works invisibly,
seemingly intuitively, to help keep the car going where the driver points
it, under circumstances that might otherwise lead to loss of control and a
possible accident without the system.
Using electronic sensors and lightening-fast computer logic, the system
constantly monitors a vehicle's actual path against its intended path. If
there's any difference between what the driver is "asking" (primarily
through the steering wheel) and what the vehicle is doing, the system works
in a split-second by braking individual wheels and/or reducing excess
engine power, even before the driver may sense any changes.
About Mercedes-Benz USA
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is
responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and
Maybach products in the United States. In 2005, MBUSA achieved an all-time
sales record of 224,421 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever
in its history and achieving 12 consecutive years of sales growth. More
information on MBUSA and its products can be found on the Internet at
http://www.mbusa.com and http://www.maybachusa.com.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,090
Likes: 11
From: SF Bay Area, CA
2006 E55 and 2002 E320
Well, this does little for us Mercedes-Benz owners/drivers. I just hope that it helps protect us Mercedes-Benz owners/drivers from other cars without ESP that might hit us. God forbid, knock on wood.
Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 228
Likes: 42
From: North of San Francisco
14 E550, 07 E550, 69 Mach I, 65 Hipo, 66 Fairlane GTA Conv, 66 Fairlane GT
I'll have to send a copy to my insurance agent. "Cars equipped with
stability control are 35 percent less likely to be involved in a collision" and "stability control systems reduce the likelihood of all fatal accidents by 43 percent and fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent, according to another accident study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)" should translate into a reduction in premiums for Benz owners with ESP!
stability control are 35 percent less likely to be involved in a collision" and "stability control systems reduce the likelihood of all fatal accidents by 43 percent and fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent, according to another accident study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)" should translate into a reduction in premiums for Benz owners with ESP!
Super Moderator Alumni
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,060
Likes: 0
From: Basel, Switzerland
Audi A5 Sportback + Cannondale Prophet
So this section is about testimonials, right? Well, I did have one instance where I was coming down a huge overpass in New Orleans (an arched bridge that goes over the Harvey canal for those familiar with the area) under somewhat heavy rain but at a steady 55 mph (or thereabouts). Near the end of the bridge you are going downhill and slightly turning... I felt the rear end come loose, immediately followed by what I describe as a cat clawing onto a sofa, and a couple of flashing lights on the dash but nothing fancy. I think it was ESP in action.
