Volkswagen of America is making stability control standard equipment on all its 2009 models, Autoweek reports. The manufacturer joins several other automakers, notably General Motors and Ford, in spreading stability-control technology throughout their vehicle lineups. That puts VW ahead of mainstream stalwarts like Toyota and Honda, which still have popular models such as the the Civic that don't even feature ESC as an option.

In terms of sophistication, stability control isn't all that difficult to implement. Essentially, stability control uses a yaw sensor to help determine if a vehicle is beginning to understeer or oversteer and applies the brake at individual wheels to correct the skid, according to the report.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires all vehicles sold in the U.S. market to have the technology by the 2012 model year, so everyone else will have to get cracking soon anyway. The report said that the NHTSA estimates the technology can save up to 10,000 lives each year—if they're right, that could drop the annual number of U.S. deaths in auto accidents below 40,000 for the first time in decades. I'd like to see more "Off" switches, if only for enthusiasts that prefer to rotate the tail a bit on race tracks. But that's a story for another post.