BETTER CURVE CONTROL

摘要

We've all been there before: Approach a turn a little too fast, crank the wheel, and ... nothing. Suddenly your car is sliding off the road. Electronic stability-control systems have gone a long way toward helping drivers avoid such accidents, even when drivers push the limits. In 2006, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that this reduced the risk of single-car crashes by up to 49 percent. But to further help avert the estimated 50,000 crashes a year that result from drivers taking turns too quickly, Ford Motor Co. has developed a different kind of electronic stability-control system, called Curve Control, which debuted on the 2011 Explorer. Curve Control varies braking forces among all four wheels, and can reduce vehicle speed by up to 10 mph in just one second. This mitigates understeer, a condition where the vehicle plows off course regardless of any attempt to steer by the driver. Here's how your car will stay out of the nearest ditch.