Citation

Erickson M, Hayes WC. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2008; 18(1): 19-23.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Electronic Stability Control (ESC), since its inception in 1995, has become increasingly prevalent among the continuously changing passenger vehicle models. This safety feature, designed to prevent loss-of-control events, has proven to be highly effective at reducing single vehicle crash rates (35-41% reduction) and single vehicle crash fatality rates (56% reduction). This study provides a review of the background of ESC, including the system physics, system effectiveness, and applicable government regulation. The implications of this technology for accident reconstruction are then analyzed. Results indicate that under some circumstances ESC has a non-negligible effect on vehicle dynamics. To account for these ESC-induced changes in vehicle dynamics, a straightforward adaptation of the closed-form work/energy analysis is presented. This approach is shown to accurately account for the ESC effects.