Personal Injury Lawyers > Personal Injury Blog > Vehicle Rollovers > Ford’s Curve Control System Expected to Minimize Risk of Rollover Accidents

Personal Injury Blog

Ford’s Curve Control System Expected to Minimize Risk of Rollover Accidents

Ford’s new stability control technology will soon be introduced on the 2011 Explorer, which is set to roll out over the next few months. The new technology is called Curve Control, and as the name suggests, it is meant to give motorists enhanced control of their vehicles when they are navigating a curve.

Every year, approximately 50,000 people die in accidents that occur on curvy roads. That is not such a surprising fact. Many of these roads and ramps were designed and built more than 50 years ago, when the average speed limit was about 50 mph. Today, when a motorist traveling at more than 65 mph is trying to negotiate a tight curve at these speeds, he or she may lose control of his vehicle, and this could lead to a rollover accident.

Rollover crashes are some of the most dangerous crashes that occur in the United States. Each year, just about 3% of all accidents in the United States involve a sports-utility vehicle, pickup truck or passenger vehicle, rolling over. However, the fatalities that result from these accidents make up more than 30% of the total Highway traffic fatality toll in the country. Sports-utility vehicles and pickup trucks are at a higher risk for rollovers than passenger cars. These vehicles come with a high center of gravity that makes them less stable, and more likely to tip over when the motorist brakes at high speeds.

Over the past few years, Electronic Stability Control systems have markedly reduced the risk of rollover accidents involving sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks. These systems come with sensors that detect when the motorist is about to lose control of the vehicle, and automatically increase the braking power of the individual wheels in order to help the motorist regain control over his vehicle. A potentially fatal rollover is thus averted.

Curve Control technology however enhances the power of Electronic Stability Control systems to prevent rollover accidents. The stability control system in Ford now comes with an enhanced feature that can detect when the driver is turning a curve far too quickly, and when the vehicle is not turning as quickly as the motorist intends it to. It can then reduce the power of the engine, and apply quick braking power to the individual wheels, cutting up to 10 mph of speed in a second. This helps to prevent the risk of a rollover accident.

Rollover risks have been a source of concern to California accident lawyers over the past couple of months. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports issued a warning about a Toyota Lexus model. The warning came when CR found a risk that the vehicle’s Electronic Stability Control  system did not kick in as quickly as necessary while the motorist was turning a curve, possibly increasing the risk of a rollover. After Consumer Reports issued a “don’t buy” warning, Toyota conducted testing of its own, and found the same problem. The company  then announced a recall of the vehicles.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of vehicle rollovers. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

---