Currently, ESC is available as standard equipment on 40 percent of 2006 passenger vehicle models and optional on another 15 percent.

The IIHS study, released in June, highlighted the significant safety benefits of ESC by determining that if installed on all vehicles, ESC could prevent nearly one-third of fatal crashes each year, up to 10,000; reduce rollover risk by as much as 80 percent; and reduce insurance losses under collision coverage by approximately 15 percent.

“Numerous studies, including one this summer by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), have concluded that ESC can save lives by preventing a significant number of crashes on America’s roads,” said Scott Dahl, director, advanced technology and marketing, Robert Bosch LLC. “In fact, NHTSA has stated that ESC is the greatest life saving improvement since the safety belt. NHTSA has taken this important and correct step in recommending that the technology be standard equipment on all cars and light trucks sold in the United States. At Bosch, we look forward to working with the world’s automakers to make ESC available to all U.S. consumers.”

Bosch is taking the lead in providing dealers and consumers information needed to understand the safety benefits of ESC, through the recently launched www.bosch-escential.com. The site includes features such as a basic overview of ESC and how it works, animations and details of studies that discuss the technology’s effectiveness. Bosch also has worked with automotive dealers to educate them on ESC’s benefits, so they can educate consumers on the showroom floor. Bosch first brought the technology to market on the 1995 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Today, Bosch ESC is featured on such vehicles as the BMW X3, BMW X5, Buick LaCrosse, Chevy Avalanche, Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Honda Ridgeline, Pontiac Grand Prix and Toyota Camry.

Additionally, Bosch is the leader in the ongoing development of ESC by expanding the functionality to include features such as roll mitigation function (RMF), used to aid in the prevention of vehicle rollover in high center of gravity vehicles, and trailer sway mitigation (TSM), used to prevent unstable oscillations and trailer sway. Bosch also offers other value-added ESC functions, including hill descent control, hill hold control, soft stop, traffic jam assist and controlled deceleration driver assistance systems.