Minnesota Lack of or Defective Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Lawyers

ESC systems actively monitor a vehicle's directional control and then act to maintain it. According to a July 2007 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, crash data from state databases and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System showed a 36 percent reduction in fatal single-vehicle crashes in ESC-equipped passenger cars and a 63 percent reduction in fatal single-vehicle crashes in ESC-equipped light trucks and vans (LTVs), including SUVs. And the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has reported that ESC reduced the risk of all single-vehicle crashes by more than 40 percent and the risk of fatal crashes by 56 percent.

This technology has been available in the late 1990s - in fact Mercedes began including ESC as standard equipment on some of its vehicles in 1999. Still, many manufacturers still do not include ESC as standard equipment on many model lines - especially the more economical lines.

ESC is particularly effective in reducing on-road rollovers and spin-out crashes. If you crash involves these types of pre-impact travel, determine whether the vehicle was equipped with ESC. If there is no ESC system on a 2000 or later model year vehicle, there may be a viable case.

*Nate Bjerke is the Chair of the Minnesota Association for Justice Product Liability Committee

If you think your crash may have been caused by malfunctioning ESC or a lack of ESC, Contact the electronic stability control attorneys at Champion Law for a free case review.

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