Best safety advance since seat belts ?
#1
09-06-2011, 05:29 AM
Best safety advance since seat belts ?
Best safety advance since seat belts
Electronic stability control is now standard on every new car -- and experts expect it to save thousands of lives.
You are driving down a lonely back road.
Your car hits a patch of black ice and begins to slide out of control. As you struggle to remember what to do, the car takes over, stops the slide and prevents you from slipping off the road.
This is not the future. Electronic stability control already prevents thousands of accidents a year, and beginning Sept. 1, it became standard on every new car built for sale in America.
Experts everywhere agree that ESC saves lives. Insurance companies offer a discount for vehicles so equipped. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that if every vehicle on the road had ESC, fatal accidents would be reduced by 10,000 per year. Its 2010 study found that ESC reduces fatal crash involvement on average 33% -- a 20% reduction for multiple-vehicle crashes and 49% for single-car crashes.
It is a game-changing technology.
David Champion, the director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, says, "If you are looking at the best ways to prevent deaths, seat belts are still No. 1, ESC is a close second and air bags are a distant third."
ESC is very effective at preventing rollovers
ESC has proved to be extremely effective at preventing rollovers in both SUVs and passenger cars. IIHS research shows that ESC can reduce the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75% for SUVs and 72% for cars.
Small cars getting safer
Federal research concurs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that ESC can prevent 85% of SUV rollovers and 64% of car rollovers.
"Drivers of SUVs are now among the least likely to die in crashes," says Russ Rader, spokesman at IIHS. "This is a big change from just a few years ago."
Many experts think that ESC is even more important for teen drivers. If you have teen drivers in the house, putting them in an ESC-equipped car will not only save money on car insurance, but it may possibly save their lives.
"Excessive speed and loss of control are two of the biggest factors in teen accidents," Champion notes. "ESC helps them with both of these factors."
Champion is so impressed with ESC that he predicts that the eventual transition of all teens into ESC-equipped cars will bring up to a 60% reduction in fatal teen accidents.
How ESC prevents auto accidents
How does ESC work? A microcomputer monitors signals from sensors, checking 25 times a second whether the steering input correctly corresponds to the direction that the car is moving. When it detects the vehicle moving in the wrong direction, it immediately reacts, strategically applying the brakes and reducing engine torque to put the car back on the desired path.
Continued: The future of accident prevention
Single pageRELATED ARTICLES
Electronic stability control is now standard on every new car -- and experts expect it to save thousands of lives.
You are driving down a lonely back road.
Your car hits a patch of black ice and begins to slide out of control. As you struggle to remember what to do, the car takes over, stops the slide and prevents you from slipping off the road.
This is not the future. Electronic stability control already prevents thousands of accidents a year, and beginning Sept. 1, it became standard on every new car built for sale in America.
Experts everywhere agree that ESC saves lives. Insurance companies offer a discount for vehicles so equipped. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that if every vehicle on the road had ESC, fatal accidents would be reduced by 10,000 per year. Its 2010 study found that ESC reduces fatal crash involvement on average 33% -- a 20% reduction for multiple-vehicle crashes and 49% for single-car crashes.
It is a game-changing technology.
David Champion, the director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, says, "If you are looking at the best ways to prevent deaths, seat belts are still No. 1, ESC is a close second and air bags are a distant third."
ESC is very effective at preventing rollovers
ESC has proved to be extremely effective at preventing rollovers in both SUVs and passenger cars. IIHS research shows that ESC can reduce the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 75% for SUVs and 72% for cars.
Small cars getting safer
Federal research concurs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that ESC can prevent 85% of SUV rollovers and 64% of car rollovers.
"Drivers of SUVs are now among the least likely to die in crashes," says Russ Rader, spokesman at IIHS. "This is a big change from just a few years ago."
Many experts think that ESC is even more important for teen drivers. If you have teen drivers in the house, putting them in an ESC-equipped car will not only save money on car insurance, but it may possibly save their lives.
"Excessive speed and loss of control are two of the biggest factors in teen accidents," Champion notes. "ESC helps them with both of these factors."
Champion is so impressed with ESC that he predicts that the eventual transition of all teens into ESC-equipped cars will bring up to a 60% reduction in fatal teen accidents.
How ESC prevents auto accidents
How does ESC work? A microcomputer monitors signals from sensors, checking 25 times a second whether the steering input correctly corresponds to the direction that the car is moving. When it detects the vehicle moving in the wrong direction, it immediately reacts, strategically applying the brakes and reducing engine torque to put the car back on the desired path.
Continued: The future of accident prevention
Single pageRELATED ARTICLES
#2
09-06-2011, 05:40 AM
Hi Member's, below are a few YouTube Vid's to watch `if you don't feel like reading 2day...EnJoy
<TABLE style="WIDTH: auto" class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>How Effective is Stability Control - YouTube
^ Click above
<TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="1%">
<TD style="PADDING-TOP: 2px" vAlign=top><CITE class=kvm>www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3m24bjkfg0</CITE>6 min - - Uploaded by MFcoza
5th Gear tests stability control and ABS and shows how much of a difference it can make on one of the worst surfaces we drive on - Ice.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<LI class="g knavi"><TABLE style="WIDTH: auto" class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>12 News Investigates Electronic Stability Control - YouTube
^ Click above to watch
<TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="1%">
<TD style="PADDING-TOP: 2px" vAlign=top><CITE class=kvm>www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQq-4KYBxsI</CITE>4 min -- Uploaded by wisn
Car experts are calling it the most important safety feature since seat-belts. If you have a teenage driver at home, it may be the best way to ...
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
More videos for what is stability control »
<TABLE style="WIDTH: auto" class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>How Effective is Stability Control - YouTube
^ Click above
<TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="1%">
<TD style="PADDING-TOP: 2px" vAlign=top><CITE class=kvm>www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3m24bjkfg0</CITE>6 min - - Uploaded by MFcoza
5th Gear tests stability control and ABS and shows how much of a difference it can make on one of the worst surfaces we drive on - Ice.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<LI class="g knavi"><TABLE style="WIDTH: auto" class=ts><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>12 News Investigates Electronic Stability Control - YouTube
^ Click above to watch
<TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 8px; PADDING-TOP: 4px" vAlign=top width="1%">
<TD style="PADDING-TOP: 2px" vAlign=top><CITE class=kvm>www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQq-4KYBxsI</CITE>4 min -- Uploaded by wisn
Car experts are calling it the most important safety feature since seat-belts. If you have a teenage driver at home, it may be the best way to ...
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
More videos for what is stability control »
Last edited by Space; 09-06-2011 at 06:17 AM.
#3
09-06-2011, 06:17 AM
ESC and how it helps drivers maintain control
<HR>What is ESC? Electronic stability control, or ESC, uses the speed sensors on each wheel and the ability to brake individual wheels that are the basis of antilock brakes. ESC adds a control unit that monitors steering wheel angle and vehicle rotation around the vehicle's vertical axis. This unit uses the steering and rotation information to detect that the vehicle is about to travel in a direction different from the one indicated by the steering wheel position. Then ESC automatically brakes the appropriate wheel to help the driver maintain control. In many cases engine power also is reduced.
How ESC helps drivers maintain control: A driver loses control when the vehicle goes in a direction different from the one indicated by the position of the steering wheel. This typically occurs when a driver tries to turn very hard (swerve) or to turn on a slippery road. Then the vehicle may understeer or oversteer.
When a vehicle understeers it turns less than the driver intended and continues in a forward direction because the front wheels have insufficient traction. When it oversteers it turns more than the driver intended because the rear end is spinning or sliding out. ESC can prevent understeering and oversteering by briefly braking the appropriate wheel. In many cases engine power also is reduced.
<HR>What is ESC? Electronic stability control, or ESC, uses the speed sensors on each wheel and the ability to brake individual wheels that are the basis of antilock brakes. ESC adds a control unit that monitors steering wheel angle and vehicle rotation around the vehicle's vertical axis. This unit uses the steering and rotation information to detect that the vehicle is about to travel in a direction different from the one indicated by the steering wheel position. Then ESC automatically brakes the appropriate wheel to help the driver maintain control. In many cases engine power also is reduced.
How ESC helps drivers maintain control: A driver loses control when the vehicle goes in a direction different from the one indicated by the position of the steering wheel. This typically occurs when a driver tries to turn very hard (swerve) or to turn on a slippery road. Then the vehicle may understeer or oversteer.
When a vehicle understeers it turns less than the driver intended and continues in a forward direction because the front wheels have insufficient traction. When it oversteers it turns more than the driver intended because the rear end is spinning or sliding out. ESC can prevent understeering and oversteering by briefly braking the appropriate wheel. In many cases engine power also is reduced.
#4
09-06-2011, 12:29 PM
human driven vehicles going the way of the dinosaur
If the Insurance Institute has their way human driven vehicles will be like 45's, beta tapes, 8 tracks, rotary dial telephones and I could go on and on. The car of the future will have a GPS screen on the dash. There will be no steering wheel or gas and brake pedals. You will enter your destination into the GPS after putting on your drivers helmet, and five point seat harness, the car will take you to your destination. Gone will be the feel of the road thru the steering wheel. Gone will be the feel of planting your self into the seat when you shift into a lower gear and slam the gas while passing another car. Gone will be the days of driving down a mountain winding road.
You may see these as simple safety devices made to make your car safer. However when they are mandated in every new car built it is another of your freedoms taken away. I prefer my old cars because the freedoms are all there. I choose how and when to brake(no ABS), I choose how and when to steer (no stability control), no air bags to deploy when not needed.
If you have not watched the movie or read the book, 1984 by George Orwell is very insightful and the direction that the USA is headed. Very sad indeed.
You may see these as simple safety devices made to make your car safer. However when they are mandated in every new car built it is another of your freedoms taken away. I prefer my old cars because the freedoms are all there. I choose how and when to brake(no ABS), I choose how and when to steer (no stability control), no air bags to deploy when not needed.
If you have not watched the movie or read the book, 1984 by George Orwell is very insightful and the direction that the USA is headed. Very sad indeed.
Last edited by mousehousemoparman; 09-06-2011 at 12:51 PM.
#5
09-06-2011, 04:05 PM
Hi MouseHouseMorParMan,I can tell that you are set in your ways & `mind, and that is your right.
I personally like the advances in safety, and I'm glad there are laws that make some people comply for their own, their families, friends and other's safety on our roads and highways.
I wish everyone would be safe when they are in control of a machine that can kill - injury themselves or others.
So, the more advances the auto companies make, the better, as far as I'm concerned....Isn't it great to still be able to express our thoughts & feelings
We can agree to disagree....I believe that `if we don't like the laws or believe they are unfair ? ~> Then we should work peacefully to change them.
We the people have elected the people that make the laws, so if we want change, we have to support those that agree with us...
Yes the 84 Orwell is a classic read 4-Sure..
Thanks for your post & activity.
#7
09-06-2011, 04:23 PM
#9
09-06-2011, 05:13 PM
Safety is important and I'm glad they invent stuff like this. I personally would like it if all my loved ones would drive big rubber ***** with full roll cages to keep them as safe as possible but since they can't we'll settle for this.
#10
09-06-2011, 05:20 PM
Black Ice In Florida
Black ice does occur in Florida. I will agree it doesn't happen often but it does happen. I also had my fair share of it when living in Massachusetts and Vermont. Driving on it isn't much fun but I survived it because I was wise enough to recognize it and drive accordingly and in some cases not drive.
As I stated in my last post I have nothing against new safety devices. I happen to think the tire pressure monitoring system should have been available ages ago. I just don't want them shoved down my throat. I want the choice to use or not use them. I am comfortable with my driving ability and skill. My first car was a 1967 Plymouth Fury III 4 door hardtop. It didn't have crumple zones built into it. It didn't have air bags, or antilock brakes. It didn't have stability control or tire pressure sensors. It did have seat belts and it did have radial tires. I owned and drove this car when I lived in Vermont and drove it all year long. Vermont has some of the harshest weather experienced in this country. The first snow storm of the year I would go to the mall or supermarket parking lot after closing and play. I would learn how my car reacted in the snow and ice. I also learned what I needed to do when my car was on snow and ice. Because of this I only had two winter mishaps. One in which I put the car in the snowbank because some other idiot spun in front of me. Because I ditched the car there was no damage done. The second was in the fall when I experience black ice for the first time and the road just disappears. I slammed the brakes and put the car into a multiple 360. I was lucky as again I didn't hit anything. That one was in a 74 Mustang II hatchback.
With all these "safety devices" people forget to drive and they also over compensate for them. While living in Vermont there were just as many four wheel drives in the ditch as anything else. People drive like idiots because they have four wheel drive and throw caution to the wind.
I unhooked the airbag in my 90 Toyota Supra. I wanted to do the same in my 95 Chrysler Town & Country but the circuit is wired in with the fuel pump so I can't just pull a fuse. I also have not found a main controller to unplug like there is in the Supra. You guys can have your safety devices. I just want the choice to turn them off and rely on my skill and ability. That is what driving is supposed to be about.
As far as our political system is concerned; yes you are correct that we the people elect them into office. From there they serve themselves and the lobbyists and pretty much do what suits them and forget who put them there. The system needs tweeking and I agree peacefully.
As I stated in my last post I have nothing against new safety devices. I happen to think the tire pressure monitoring system should have been available ages ago. I just don't want them shoved down my throat. I want the choice to use or not use them. I am comfortable with my driving ability and skill. My first car was a 1967 Plymouth Fury III 4 door hardtop. It didn't have crumple zones built into it. It didn't have air bags, or antilock brakes. It didn't have stability control or tire pressure sensors. It did have seat belts and it did have radial tires. I owned and drove this car when I lived in Vermont and drove it all year long. Vermont has some of the harshest weather experienced in this country. The first snow storm of the year I would go to the mall or supermarket parking lot after closing and play. I would learn how my car reacted in the snow and ice. I also learned what I needed to do when my car was on snow and ice. Because of this I only had two winter mishaps. One in which I put the car in the snowbank because some other idiot spun in front of me. Because I ditched the car there was no damage done. The second was in the fall when I experience black ice for the first time and the road just disappears. I slammed the brakes and put the car into a multiple 360. I was lucky as again I didn't hit anything. That one was in a 74 Mustang II hatchback.
With all these "safety devices" people forget to drive and they also over compensate for them. While living in Vermont there were just as many four wheel drives in the ditch as anything else. People drive like idiots because they have four wheel drive and throw caution to the wind.
I unhooked the airbag in my 90 Toyota Supra. I wanted to do the same in my 95 Chrysler Town & Country but the circuit is wired in with the fuel pump so I can't just pull a fuse. I also have not found a main controller to unplug like there is in the Supra. You guys can have your safety devices. I just want the choice to turn them off and rely on my skill and ability. That is what driving is supposed to be about.
As far as our political system is concerned; yes you are correct that we the people elect them into office. From there they serve themselves and the lobbyists and pretty much do what suits them and forget who put them there. The system needs tweeking and I agree peacefully.
Last edited by mousehousemoparman; 09-06-2011 at 05:31 PM.
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