Safest Cars on the Road Are Good News
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If you are in the market for a new vehicle you will want to check out the auto industry's latest list of safest vehicles.
The troubled Ford Motor Company may see some turnabout financially because of an emphasis on safety.
You recall that the Ford Explorer had a problem with stability and all too often in a minor accident a it would roll often killing the occupants.
Ford and Honda both have he most vehicles on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's list of safest car. Altogether 34 vehicles made the list for 2008. Compare that to 13 cars last model year.
And stability control is an important enough consideration that the Institute requires "safety" be defined by stability to even qualify for the award. By 2012 all vehicles will be required to have updated anti-rollover features. The cars on the list have them now. Ford says it will have stability control on all of its vehicles in 2009.
Imagine if the technology could put a dent in the 10,000 fatal crashes involving rollover.
Among Fords, the Taurus and Mercury Sable, Ford Edge, Taurus X, Lincoln MKX midsize SUV are all on the list. Volvo, now made by Ford- the Volvo S 80, C70 and XC 90 SUV are on the list.
Honda and its Acura unit had seven vehicles on the list: the Honda Accord, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and Element, and the Acura MDX and RDX SUVs. Honda has had stability control on all SUVs, pickups and minivans since the 2007 model year and the technology is now standard on the Accord.
The Toyota Highlander is also on the list as are some trucks.
The way stability control works is that when a driver is losing control of the car and it's about to roll, the vehicle electronically senses the instability and applies brakes to the wheels needed to keep it stable.
It's unfortunate the automobile industry has taken so long and so many lives have been lost due to unstable vehicles. At least now, consumers have more choices to keep themselves and their families safe.