IIHS Wants NHTSA To Speed Up ESC Rule

Washington DC October 31, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has asked federal regulators of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to speed up a new safety rule that would mandate electronic stability control in all cars and trucks, reports The Detroit Free Press.

The current rule requires automakers to install stability control systems in all vehicles by the 2012 model year.

IIHS has said that NHTSA should use a more aggressive timeline, saying its research shows electronic stability control can reduce single-vehicle crashes by 40 percent and fatal crashes by 56 percent. "Because manufacturers are rapidly moving to add ESC to their vehicles, the proposed implementation schedule is too long," IIHS said in a filing with regulators last week. The institute did not specify what deadline it would prefer.