Most of us have found ourselves entering a corner too fast.? When that happens, braking in the corner can often cause the vehicle to lose control; in fact, there are about 50,000 crashes each year attributed to this situation.

Now Ford has a device called Curve Control that helps avoid the problem.? When Curve Control senses a driver is taking a curve too quickly it rapidly reduces engine torque and can apply four-wheel braking, slowing the vehicle by up to 10 mph in about one second.

Curve Control debuts as standard equipment on the all-new 2011 Ford Explorer going into production later this year, and will be offered on 90 percent of the company?s North American crossovers, sport utilities, trucks and vans by 2015.

?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.?

Curve Control is effective on dry or wet pavement, and is expected to be particularly useful when drivers are entering or exiting freeway on- or off-ramps with too much speed. When a vehicle enters a curve too fast, the system responds to the driver?s steering input by rapidly reducing torque and increasing brake pressure to help keep the vehicle under control.

The patent-pending system works by measuring how quickly the vehicle is turning and comparing that with how quickly the driver is trying to turn. When the vehicle is not turning as much as the driver is steering ? also known as ?pushing? ? Curve Control activates. The system applies the precise amount of braking required on each wheel to enhance the individual wheel braking of the traditional stability control system.

Based on Ford?s exclusive?AdvanceTrac? with RSC? (Roll Stability Control?), Curve Control uses sensors to measure roll rate, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed and steering wheel angle, and runs calculations based on those inputs 100 times every second