As we reported previously in the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends electronic stability control (ESC) features for all vehicles by 2012, calling it safety technology on par with seat belts and air bags. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumers Union and Public Citizen all argue that the benefits of electronic stability control should cause the implementation schedule to be accelerated before the mandatory deadline of 2012. Consumers Union also said that NHTSA should force auto makers to meet a 2010 for deadline for equipping all vehicles with electronic stability control (ESC) and should have used perspectives from groups other than automakers for its research.
However, according to a recent article in the Detroit Free Press, the auto industry wants to modify that schedule significantly, citing technical concerns and more time needed. In a joint statement, the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers also warn that the NHTSA’s estimates of the benefits may be “overly optimistic” and based on limited data.
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