Nissan 370Z Forum - Transport Canada to require lifesaving vehicle stability control system

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transport canada is proposing to require the installation of a $450 electronic system that helps drivers keep control of cars and trucks in situations such as skids.

If the proposed regulation is adopted, all light vehicles sold after sept. 1, 2011, will have to have electronic stability control (esc), a system that compares the driver's steering and the direction the vehicle is heading. When they do not match, esc will automatically activate the brakes on one or more wheels for a short time, reduce engine power, or both.

Transport canada said that, based on 2006 data, if esc was installed on all canadian vehicles, there would be at least 225 fewer deaths and 755 fewer people seriously injured each year.

Government data "indicates that vehicles equipped with esc were involved in approximately 30 per cent fewer severe collisions involving loss of control than non-esc equipped vehicles," the department said in a news release friday.

The system is estimated to cost $450 as a stand-alone item, the transport canada website said.

Transport canada has been testing esc since 2004 and in june 2007 declared the results "very impressive." the delay in proposing that esc be required in new cars was a result of time needed to harmonize canada's rules with automakers' and other countries' practices, transport canada said.

Esc helps drivers keep control in emergency manoeuvres, such as swerving or braking to avoid an obstacle, and cornering on slippery surfaces.

"this safety feature is already available on many new models," and the government recognizes it saves lives, transport minister john baird said in a news release.

The proposed regulation will be published in the canada gazette on march 14, starting a 75-day period when interested parties can comment to transport canada.