Evaluation Program Plan:
Electronic stability control systems - cost and effectiveness

Background Electronic stability control systems (ESCS) assist drivers to better control their vehicles during dangerous situations such as spinning and rollover. They rely on the control systems that are embedded in the microcomputer to record data on the actual state of the vehicle (driver and vehicle behavior) and compare it with its nominal state to determine if the vehicle is out of control and make the adjustments accordingly. ESCS may help drivers to maintain their vehicles on the road and prevent rollovers and collisions with fixed objects. Only a few automakers in the industry have implemented this system on their product lines as of 2001. Thus, crash data with ESCS are just now becoming available for statistical studies.

Objectives Study the effect of electronic stability control systems on single-vehicle crashes, including rollovers and impacts with fixed objects, by crash type, vehicle type and model year, atmospheric condition, and driver behavior. Estimate the consumer cost of this system.

Proposed Approach FARS and State crash data and Polk registration data will be used to compare single-vehicle crash involvement rates on vehicles with ESCS and those of the same make models without ESCS. The cost of ESCS will be estimated by "teardown" studies. The evaluation may require 2-3 years or more until sufficient crash data accumulate for a definitive, final report; the agency may possibly also issue an interim report.

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