Bill Pierre Ford

Ford has announced a new curve control technology to prevent rollover accidents during the curves that the company will first introduce in its 2011 Ford Explorer. The company plans to further roll out the technology to 90 percent of Ford’s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015.

The technology as explained by Ford senses when a driver is taking a curve too quickly and rapidly reduces engine torque and can apply four-wheel braking, slowing the vehicle by up to 10 mph in about one second.  Curve Control works perfectly over any surface whether dry or wet pavement and serves best when drivers are entering or exiting freeway on- or off-ramps with too much speed.

The system works by measuring how quickly the vehicle is turning and comparing that with how quickly the driver is trying to turn. For this CCT calculates inputs from various sensors that measure roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed and steering wheel angle, 100 times a second.

The move comes after U.S. government crash data reveals that about 50,000 serious crashes annually occur due to driving too fast on curves.

“Too many accidents stem from drivers misjudging their speed going into curves and freeway off- and on-ramps,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Ford’s Curve Control technology senses a potentially dangerous situation and reduces power and applies brakes more quickly than most drivers can react on their own.”

Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president of Engineering for Global Product Development further added that the company’s motive behind developing technologies

such as Curve Control and radar-based collision warning systems was to prevent crashes from happening in the first place. He said these technologies were a perfect complement for Ford’s leading passive safety systems.

Ford Motor Co. said the end of the year would also be the end of the road for Escape vehicles production in Missouri, a union local president said.

Jeff Wright, president of the United Auto Workers Local 249 said Ford intended to switch production in Missouri to a newer sport utility vehicle if the state came up with $15 million annually in tax breaks for the company, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

Production of the Escape is moving to Kentucky, he said.

Ford spokesman John Stoll would not comment on the auto giant’s plans for the Escape or its Claycomo, Missouri, assembly plant, where 3,700 workers produce the Escape, the Mercury Mariner and the F-150 pickup truck, the newspaper said.

Wright said, “The Escape’s already gone. They’ve announced that, and I think if they haven’t already started to retool Louisville, Ky., it’s close.”

“What we’re looking for is a new product,” he said.