Safety first
Ingenious new stability devices that prevent cars from skidding could halve motoring fatalities
ONE of the few good things to come out of the tendency of certain sports-utility vehicles (what Americans call SUVs and Europeans know as four-by-fours) to roll over when a tyre gets shredded or the driver swerves suddenly or clips the curb at speed is the growing awareness of “dynamic stability control systems”. New-car buyers, at least in America and continental Europe, are opting increasingly for safety features that reduce the likelihood of roll-overs. The six-month waiting list in the United States for the Volvo XC90 sports-utility vehicle from Ford's prestige automobile group, which comes equipped with all the latest anti-rollover safety features, is a testament to the new marketing mantra that safety sells.
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