Third Coast Auto Group Official Blog
What is electronic stability control and how does it prevent accidents?
By Product Expert | Posted in Technology, Used Cars on Thursday, June 14th, 2018 at 9:46 pm
While many new cars are available with flashy safety features like automatic emergency braking and autonomous cruise control (which will independently adjust your cruise control speed so you don’t ram into a slow car in front of you on the highway) there are some simpler technology options that have made a big difference. One of these is electronic stability control. What is electronic stability control and how does it prevent accidents?
Individual wheel monitoring and light braking
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) works with the anti-lock brake system (ABS) in vehicles to deliver more traction and control. This system works by monitoring how fast wheels are turning, and keeping an eye out for a loss of traction or control. When it senses a loss of traction, it can decrease engine power, or even lightly apply the brakes to try and give the driver more control.
This system is related to ABS because it also prevents wheels from locking up (which decreases skidding). While it does not have the same crash-prevention power as newer collision-prevention technology, it can make a big difference.
How helpful is electronic stability control?
The numbers vary depending on the survey you check, but electronic stability control may help reduce single-car crashes (caused by a loss of control in bad weather or weird conditions) by anywhere from a 25 percent to one third of the time. That sounds great to us!
Used cars in Austin TX with electronic stability control
Since 2012, all passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds have come standard with electronic stability control and ABS. However, several manufacturers began including this feature as early as 2005 and before. You can check out a full list of the manufacturer’s that added this feature right away here, but you can be sure that many vehicles in the used car inventory here at Third Coast Auto Group in the Austin area come with this great, user-friendly feature.
