Marking a major milestone for its full-stability technology, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC recently delivered its 100,000th Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program system for tractor-trailers, trucks, and motor coaches.
“In 2008 – the most recent year in which statistics are available – over 11,000 rollovers and 4,000 jackknifes occurred on our nation’s highways,” says Fred Andersky, Bendix director of marketing – Controls.” Reaching this milestone, while a significant achievement for Bendix, is also a major step forward in helping fleets and their drivers improve safety on our roads.”
Bendix was the first North American brake system manufacturer to make a full-stability solution widely available for the commercial vehicle market. Full-stability systems – such as Bendix ESP – address both roll and directional stability. Full-stability systems recognize and mitigate conditions that could lead to rollover and loss-of-control situations sooner on dry surfaces and in a wider range of driving and road conditions, including snowy, ice-covered and slippery surfaces.
In October 2009, a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that ESC could help substantially reduce the number of annual heavy truck crashes and prevent injuries and deaths. The study was conducted for NHTSA by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The report found that full-stability technologies would do more to help mitigate rollovers and loss-of-control crashes than rollover-only technologies, resulting in 34 percent fewer crashes, 19 percent fewer fatalities and 35 percent fewer injuries. The study noted that “Tractor-semitrailer crashes tend to be complex events. Therefore, it is anticipated that technologies – such as ESP – would have additional benefits across a broad range of crash types.”
U.S. government studies report that accidents involving injuries can cost an average of more than $200,000 per event, while the cost of fatalities can average more than $3 million per incident.
“Time after time, our fleet customers tell us the value of preventing one accident typically covers the cost for equipping the entire fleet with ESP. And with the cost of crashes continuing to grow, the ROI for stability is a relatively easy calculation,” says Andersky. “Plus, keeping in mind the new CSA 2010 environment that will impact both fleets and drivers, an ounce of prevention may go a long way.”
Current Bendix stability OEMs – International, Kenworth, Peterbilt, Mack and Volvo – continue to offer Bendix ESP to fleets interested in improving highway safety with the full-stability solution. Fleets such as Swift Transport, Indian River Transport and Trimac Transportation all utilize Bendix ESP full-stability technology. Other OEs, such as Prevost, offer ESP for motor coaches, and the technology is finding application in a variety of niche markets for medium-duty vehicles, such as fire trucks, ambulances and other vocational applications.
“Bendix ESP, nor any advanced safety technology, replaces the need for a good driver, safe driving practices, and ongoing driver training,” Andersky says. “Bendix ESP technology offers the most robust stability technology available to help in those instances when the driver might need a little extra help. The technology won’t make a bad driver a good driver, but it might help a good driver avoid a bad situation.”
