Stability Control Standard by 2012

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Announces A Substantial Life Saving Technology For All New Passenger Vehicles

In a move that could ultimately save up to 10,000 lives each year on U.S. roadways, the nation's top transportation official today announced plans to make new crash prevention technology standard equipment on every new passenger vehicle sold in America by 2012. U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters and National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole R. Nason announced the final rule to require the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on all new passenger vehicles during a tour with auto makers at the New York International Auto Show today.

ESC uses automatic computer controlled braking to keep drivers from losing control on slippery roads or in emergency maneuvers, in many cases preventing deadly rollovers from occurring.“This technology will save thousands of lives. Like airbags and seat belts, ten years down the road we will look back at the new ESC technology and wonder how we ever drove a car without it.”

Secretary Peters said.“ESC technology will put the brakes on crashes and help drivers keep control of their cars in critical situations,” Administer Nason said. “ESC works, it will save lives, and it can give American drivers and passengers the peace of mind that comes from knowing their vehicles have some of the most technologically advanced safety equipment available.” The final rule will require all manufacturers to begin equipping passenger vehicles with ESC starting with model year 2009, and to have the feature available as standard equipment on all new passenger vehicles by the 2012 model year (September 2011).

Hang in there drivers, only a few more years and Electronic Stability Controls will be standard on all new passenger vehicles. Until then we'll continue to rely on the older and increasingly obsolescent DARC system. DARC (Driver Awareness of Roadway Conditions) requires the driver to focus on driving the vehicle and actually scan ahead to identify curves and turns that might require a reduction of speed before entering those parts of the roadway. Once the driver identifies these requirements the DARC system prompts him to use his foot to brake and avoid skidding and turnovers.

Recently DARC has been rendered ineffective by increasing demands on its sensor and processing capabilities caused by the use of extra peripherals (such as telephones and PDA's) that slow it's processing and reaction time.

This problem can be fixed by activating the SAAD (Stay Alert and Drive) feature of the DARC. SAAD disconnects the peripherals and reboots the DARC on its original parameters.

Should the SAAD fail, a DrivRR (Driver Responsible for Results) patch can be downloaded to remedy this problem.