Volkswagen has the ESP to make ESP standard

In the car world, ESP is not a subject for an episode of "The X-Files." It stands for electronic stabilization program. It senses when a driver has overcooked a bend and turns down the heat (apologies to everyone who knows this stuff, but ... y’know). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stipulated that such a system must be standard equipment in every model-year 2012 car sold in the U.S.

Volkswagen has stolen a three-year march on this edict by promising to fit ESP as standard in each of its 2009 models, claiming to be the first nonluxury manufacturer to include it at no extra cost. It seems that many buyers of new cars are irked by the fact that ESP isn’t already standard, so VW should be applauded for stepping up to the plate.

The accompanying video shows a couple of with/without ESP instances. VW’s system works in conjunction with the vehicle’s brakes and another piece of electronic wizardry known as anti-slip regulation, helping the driver to maintain control during those tricky driving moments. With ESP systems fitted to every car in America, NHTSA predicts that nearly 10,000 lives a year could be saved.

— Colin Ryan

Comments

[smokeonit]

most people have no idea what stabilization means... it's amazing how long new safety features have to be on the market until they make it into the mainstream...

[Steve]

This is great news! Every carmaker should follow suit. After watching videos and test driving a few vehicles with electronic stability control, I'll never buy another vehicle without it. The NHTSA is probably correct that it could prevent 10k American deaths per year. It could probably prevent 100k injuries per year through avoided accidents, too. To top it off, this will save BILLIONS of dollars per year in car repairs, emergency response, and lost work time once the entire US fleet has ESP. 2012 is too long from now--where are the consumer advocates? It would be a PR victory for GM or Ford or Chrysler to be the first of the Big 3 to announce an early phase-in (it could be done for all model year 2010 vehicles--it's cheap and easy to add to vehicles). Instead of waiting for the government to force them to improve their products, the Big 3 should be INNOVATING and INTEGRATING!

[smokeonit]

Steve: i agree, but i think the other big factor in the very high death figures on american roads is driving drunk or under the influence...

even the best ESP can't help if you drive a car but your reaction to what happens on the road is like 1-2 seconds slower than all the other unimpaired drivers on the road... especially at night when visibility is much worse those DUI drivers are a ticking time bomb...