It's not just for SUVs, either. Even high-performance sports cars, like Chevrolet Corvette Z06, benefit from ESC, which allows a car like this to be driven more safely under less-than-ideal weather conditions. (Good common-sense driving is still critical, of course. Even with stability control, great care should be taken on slippery roads.)
The moment on-board sensors detect the car is starting to slide - probably before the problem is even detectable by the driver - the traction control system eases back on the gas and the ABS system pumps the brakes at individual wheels to keep the car on the intended track.
The evidence for the effectiveness of ESC is impressive. Studies by both the federal government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have shown that cars and SUVs equipped with ESC are much less likely to be involved in dangerous rollover or loss-of-control crashes.
Systems like this actually keep cars on the road better in a greater variety of situations than even highly-trained professional drivers, so the complaint that people should "just learn to drive better" simply doesn't wash. No driver can react as quickly, or pump the brakes at individual wheels in millisecond increments.
