. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/USA/217 
29 September 2006 
 (06-4642) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of 
Transportation (NHTSA, DOT) (224) 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Motor vehicles 
(HS:  Chapter 8703) (ICS:  43) 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Federal Motor 
Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems (42 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   As part of a comprehensive plan for reducing the serious risk of 
rollover crashes and the risk of death and seri ous injury in those crashes, this document 
proposes to establish a new Federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) No. 126 to 
require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on passenger cars, multipurpose vehicles, trucks and buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 Kg ( 10,000 pounds) or less. 
ESC systems use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the 
driver in maintaining control in critical drivi ng situations in which the vehicle is beginning 
to lose directional stability at the rear wheels (spin out) or directional control at the front 
wheels (plow out). 
Based on our own crash data studies, NHTSA estimates that the installation of ESC will 
reduce single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 34 percent and single vehicle crashes of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by 59 percent, with a much greater reduction of rollover 
crashes. 
Preventing single-vehicle loss-of-control crashes is the most effective way to reduce deaths 
resulting from rollover crashes.  This is becau se most loss of control crashes culminate in 
the vehicle leaving the roadway, which drama tically increases the probability of a rollover. 
NHTSA estimates that ESC has the potentia l to prevent 71 percent of passenger car 
rollovers and 84 percent of SUV rollovers in single-vehicle crashes. 
NHTSA estimates that ESC would save 5,300 to 10,300 lives and prevent 168,000 to 
252,000 injuries in all types of crashes annually if all light vehicles on the road were equipped with ESC systems. ESC systems would substantially reduce (by 4,200 to 5,400) of 
the more than 10,000 deaths each year on Am erican roads resulting from rollover crashes. G/TBT/N/USA/217 
Page 2  
 
  About 29 percent of model year (MY) 2006 light vehicles sold in the U.S. were equipped 
with ESC, and manufacturers intend to increase the number of ESC installations in light vehicles to 71 percent by MY 2011.  This rule  would require a 100 percent installation rate 
for ESC by MY 2012 (with exceptions for some vehicles manufactured in stages or by small volume manufacturers).  Of the overall proj ected annual 5,300 to 10,300 highway deaths 
and 168,000 to 252,000 injuries prevented, we  would attribute 1,536 to 2,211 prevented 
fatalities (including 1,161 to 1,445 involving rollover) to this proposed rulemaking, in 
addition to the prevention of 50,594 to 69,630 injuries. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human life and health 
8. Relevant documents:   71 Federal Register (FR) 54711 18 September 2006; Title 49 Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 571 and 585.  Will appear in the Federal Register when 
adopted. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   17 November 2006 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
Internet URLs: 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/06-
7598.htm 
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/24 22/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/
06-7598.pdf