Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/officials-propose-new-regulations-to-prevent-rollovers Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Federal regulators are proposing new car safety rules designed to prevent rollovers. An official at the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety explains the new regulations. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. RAY SUAREZ: Rollover crashes like this can be harrowing. Today, the government announced it's taking a big step to reduce them. NICOLE NASON, Administrator, NHTSA: I am extremely proud to announce our proposal to make electronic stability control a standard feature on all passenger vehicles by model year 2012. RAY SUAREZ: Speaking to reporters today, Nicole Nason, who heads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said electronic stability control, or ESC, is the biggest breakthrough since seatbelts and could save thousands of lives. NICOLE NASON: Electronic stability control uses computer-controlled breaking of the individual tires to help control the vehicle. It helps the driver maintain control in situations where the vehicle would otherwise spin out. By helping to keep the vehicle on the road, it could be possible to prevent the crash entirely. RAY SUAREZ: A 2004 agency study found that ESC reduced fatalities in single-vehicle crashes by 30 percent for passenger cars and 63 percent for SUVs. Over the past two years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has urged car manufacturers to include the safety feature as standard equipment. ESC is already standard in about one out of four 2006 models and half of rollover-prone SUVs.