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Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems

49 CFR Parts 571 & 585 126 As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the serious risk of rollover crashes and the risk of death and serious injury in those crashes, this rule establishes Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, trucks, and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 Kg (10,000 pounds) or less. ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver in maintaining control in critical driving situations. NHTSA estimates ESC will reduce single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34% and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59%, with a much greater reduction of rollover crashes. NHTSA estimates ESC would save 5,300 to 9,600 lives and prevent 156,000 to 238,000 injuries in all types of crashes annually once all light vehicles on the road are equipped with ESC.

Preliminary Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems On Heavy Vehicles Final Regulatory Impact Analysis: Electronic Stability Control Systems Final Rule: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems; Controls and Displays Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems