Chances are your next car, truck or SUV will be fitted with some sort of Stability Control System. Though sold and marketed under various names, the technology can keep your machine on its intended path during emergency maneuvers by briefly taking control of the brakes and throttle as needed to correct a skid.
The premise here is that the computer can think better than the driver in a panic or skid situation- potentially saving a fender-bender from taking place.
Transport Canada is on a mission to demonstrate such safety features to Canadians in an effort to promote life-saving vehicle technology. A video has just been released by the organization which shows the benefits of an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system on bare, wet and snow-covered pavement.
On each surface, the test vehicle is driven at about 80 km/h towards the camera and made to perform a sudden lane-change maneuver. In each test, the vehicle first skids and wipes out when the ESC system is switched off. The video takes place in a controlled area- though a similar real-life scenario could see the vehicle colliding with traffic, pedestrians or guardrails in the process.
Activating the ESC system sees the same test result in a much smaller slide with no major loss of control. Cars with ESC switch the system on automatically when the engine is started, though most vehicles allow drivers to disable it when desired.
This technology is becoming more common, and that it's been proven by international research to save lives- especially in single-vehicle accidents. Ottawa wants automakers to consider making the technology standard on all of their vehicles, and wants shoppers to ask for it when they choose their next ride as well.
The video can be seen at
http://ram.canadacast.ca/asxgen/transport/ESC_english.wmv
photo:Olivier Delorme
The premise here is that the computer can think better than the driver in a panic or skid situation- potentially saving a fender-bender from taking place.
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Transport Canada is on a mission to demonstrate such safety features to Canadians in an effort to promote life-saving vehicle technology. A video has just been released by the organization which shows the benefits of an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system on bare, wet and snow-covered pavement.
On each surface, the test vehicle is driven at about 80 km/h towards the camera and made to perform a sudden lane-change maneuver. In each test, the vehicle first skids and wipes out when the ESC system is switched off. The video takes place in a controlled area- though a similar real-life scenario could see the vehicle colliding with traffic, pedestrians or guardrails in the process.
Activating the ESC system sees the same test result in a much smaller slide with no major loss of control. Cars with ESC switch the system on automatically when the engine is started, though most vehicles allow drivers to disable it when desired.
This technology is becoming more common, and that it's been proven by international research to save lives- especially in single-vehicle accidents. Ottawa wants automakers to consider making the technology standard on all of their vehicles, and wants shoppers to ask for it when they choose their next ride as well.
The video can be seen at
http://ram.canadacast.ca/asxgen/transport/ESC_english.wmv
photo:Olivier Delorme