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"Chrysler Will Equip SUVs with Electronic Stability Control   Chrysler said in a news release that it will make its Electronic Stability Program (ESP) standard on all of its SUVs in 2006 in the United States, including several models as early as 2005.   General Motors and Ford, the nation&amp;#039;s two largest automakers, said last week they&amp;#039;ll offer electronic stability control systems as standard equipment on 1.8 million sport-utility vehicles next year.   &amp;quot;We at the Chrysler Group design stability and handling capability into all of our vehicles,&amp;quot; said Eric Ridenour, Executive Vice-President Product Development, Chrysler Group. &amp;quot;Electronic Stability Program is one of the many technologies we use to enhance driver control and make the vehicles even safer \u2014 we&amp;#039;ll be equipping more than 750,000 SUVs within the first full year of implementation.&amp;quot;   Electronic Stability Program enhances driver control and helps maintain directional stability under all conditions, Chrysler said. It provides the greatest benefit in critical driving situations such as turns and is especially valuable when driving on mixed surface conditions such as patchy snow, ice or gravel. If there&amp;#039;s a discernible difference between what the driver asks through the steering and the vehicle&amp;#039;s path, ESP applies selective braking and throttle input to put the car back onto the driver&amp;#039;s intended path.   The system is calibrated to offer safe control of the vehicle under a variety of conditions, and to operate in a manner that is not intrusive in normal or spirited driving. The ESP system is currently available on Chrysler Crossfire and , Dodge Magnum and .   Chrysler added that it has introduced an additional enhancement on the all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, an electronic rollover mitigation system that extends the ESP technology and provides enhanced vehicle stability during emergency maneuvers on all surfaces. The system observes and monitors the vehicle roll attitude and lateral force to estimate the potential for a rollover situation. If necessary, the engine torque is reduced and a short burst of full braking is applied to the appropriate wheel to help stabilize the vehicle attitude and reduce the vehicle&amp;#039;s lateral force.   Airbag Recalls Increase   The number of auto recalls involving airbags rose this year, the Dow Jones Newswires reported, citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).   So far in 2004, more than 1.4 million recalls in the U.S. are related to airbag problems, according to the data, while in 2003, only about 350,000 recalls were related to airbag problems.   Rae Tyson, a spokesman for NHTSA, told the DJN that the agency closely monitors airbag systems and the technology is getting more scrutiny since new regulations mandating so-called &amp;quot;smart&amp;quot; airbags went into effect. But he said he&amp;#039;s not sure why the number of recalls related to air bags has gone up this year. &amp;quot;You get increasing numbers in the fleet that have got airbags,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;And airbags have gotten much more complex.&amp;quot;   Many of the recalls this year involve wiring problems that could result in the airbags not going off when needed.   Record Thanksgiving Travel Seen by AAA   Increases in both air and auto travel will push Thanksgiving travel volumes above pre-9/11 levels for the first time, according to an AAA news release.   AAA estimates that 37.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 3.1 percent increase from last year&amp;#039;s 36.1 million travelers.   &amp;quot;Travelers&amp;#039; increased confidence in both the economy and airline security will make this an extremely busy travel holiday,&amp;quot; said AAA Travel Vice President Sandra Hughes. &amp;quot;Air fares, hotel rates and gas prices have all increased from last Thanksgiving, yet more of us will head for Grandma&amp;#039;s this holiday than did even in 2000 \u2014 considered by many to be the high water mark for the travel industry.&amp;quot;   Approximately 30.6 million travelers (82 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 2.9 percent increase from the 29.8 million who drove a year ago.   Another 4.6 million (12 percent of holiday travelers) plan to travel by airplane, up 4.0 percent from the 4.4 million that flew last Thanksgiving holiday. A projected 2.0 million travelers (5 percent) will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation, up from 1.9 million a year ago.   Holiday auto travelers will find gas prices nationwide currently averaging $1.97 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline \u2014 down 6 cents during the last two weeks, but about 47 cents higher than a year ago.   Other travel costs are up, as well. Holiday hotel rates are up, with a 5.7 percent increase that is in keeping with a recent uptick in hotel occupancy and room rates across much of the country. The one savings for travelers will be on rental cars, with rates down 2.7 percent.   The greatest number of Thanksgiving auto travelers will originate in the Southeast with 8.8 million, followed by the West, 6.8 million; Midwest, 6.6 million; the Great Lakes, 6.0 million; and the Northeast, 2.4 million.   The West and Southeast are expected to produce the largest number of air travelers with 1.3 million each, followed by the Northeast and Midwest at 700,000 each; and Great Lakes with 600,000.   Expect full guest bedrooms and sleeper sofas, as 63 percent of Thanksgiving travelers expect to stay at a friend or relative&amp;#039;s home. Hotels and motels are a distant second at 23 percent, followed by cabin/condo, 3 percent; camper/trailer/RV/tent, 2 percent; bed and breakfast, 1 percent; other, 1 percent; no overnight stay, 3 percent; and didn&amp;#039;t know, 4 percent.   Small towns and rural areas are the expected destination for 40 percent of Thanksgiving travelers, followed closely by cities, 36 percent. Oceans and beaches should see 9 percent of travelers, followed by mountain areas, 5 percent; and 2 percent each for lake areas, theme/amusement parks, and state/national parks. Another 3 percent responded with other, and 1 percent said they didn&amp;#039;t know.   Research for Thanksgiving holiday travel is based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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