Electronic stability control (ESC)
Brakes individual wheels automatically to stop a skid. Standard on all cars since 2012.
Electronic stability control watches whether the car is actually going where you are steering. When it senses a skid beginning, it brakes individual wheels and trims engine power to pull the car back on line, faster than any driver could.
It is among the most effective safety technologies ever mandated, credited with cutting single-vehicle fatal crashes by roughly a third. Every U.S. vehicle from model year 2012 onward has it standard.