In a recent commercial, Hyundai asks the question "if you had the technology to save 10,000 lives, would you hesitate to use it?" The first thought in my head is, heck yeah! Especially since the commercial doesn't give any more details, instead just teasing with a web address - ThinkAboutIt.com

First and foremost, I rarely watch TV for the simple fact that it frustrates me. I hate unanswered questions, and TV is a fine-tuned half-truth manufacturer. As soon as I saw that commercial, my head was spinning with questions.

Why only 10,000 lives? Is it prototype technology (which is notorious for being poorly tested and prone to excessive failure)? I was also reminded of the movie "Fight Club" where Brad Pitt's character explains how car companies determine whether a known fault is worth fixing before the lawsuit.

So what is this mysterious technology that would save 10,000 lives? I went to their website to find out.



Yes, the most recent 2006 IIHS study found that if Electronic Stability Control systems were widely implemented it would save 10,000 lives a year - but they said 7,000 in 2004. Why the change? I highly doubt we only had 3,000 new drivers between 2004 and 2006. To me it just seems like an arbitrary, pointless, and useless number - unless you're in advertising.

The good news is, ESC is not new technology. Actually, Bosch and Mercedes Benz first developed and licensed it to other manufacturers way back in 1995. However, even though it costs less than $500 per vehicle to install these systems, most manufacturers only install them into higher end vehicles and tout is as some great feat of achievement.

Don't let all the hoopla fool you. Hyundai is just working to comply with federal regulations stating all vehicles must be equipped with ESC by 2012.