What is ESC and why is it important? ESC stands for Electronic Stability Control, a safety feature in vehicles that can actually detect and prevent/ recover from skidding in a vehicle. Before a driver has time to panic or lose control when skidding, ESC has already recovered from the skid and has the vehicle under control again. ESC uses sensors that determine the direction of the car and compares that to the direction the car is actually going. If and when the system senses a skid or if the car is already skidding the system begins to apply the brakes on individual wheels to bring the car back on track.

Because of the effectiveness of ESC the US Government has mandated that all vehicles must have ESC by the 2012 model year. Manufacturers may use different names for their ESC, but it still does the same thing.

Crash Test Results
The internet is really the first place a person would need to look for results on crash testing. Websites that are maintained by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) would be the best places to begin looking. Both sites have begun posting the results of “roof” testing. It is now a requirement with the IIHS for all vehicles to get a “good” rating on the roof test before the vehicle can be passed.

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