NHTSA To Require Electronic Stability Control On All Vehicles

Washington DC September 14, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will announce a preliminary regulation requiring electronic stability control technology on all new vehicles, reports The Washington Post.

The technology helps prevent vehicles from veering out of control and possibly rolling over. Nicole Nason, the NHTSA administrator, is expected to outline the new regulation during a news conference today.

Automakers have said the systems are more critical in preventing deaths than air bags, which are credited with saving 1,200 lives per year. Stability control is currently standard on about 40 percent of vehicles sold nationwide and available as an option on another 15 percent.

Nearly all new SUVs already have the technology.