Mazda is in an excellent position to roll out stability control as a standard feature for the company's entire product range. The 'silver bullet' of safety (such as it is), is already fitted to many of Mazda's passenger cars and is available as an option on the Mazda2 and Mazda3.

But the company is resisting the impulse to make stability control (or DSC, to use Mazda's term) a standard feature right across the range. Only about 20 per cent of new-car buyers opt for DSC in those variants for which the safety aid is an optional extra.

"Market forces at the moment indicate that people want choices," says Mazda's local managing director, Doug Dickson. "They'll go to the company that offers choices."

With the Federal Government's commitment to a 'Global Technical Regulation' for electronic stability control systems, that whole question of market forces versus government regulation is likely to be settled in fairly short order.

But Dickson remains concerned lest the Victorian State Government get in ahead of the Feds and mandate stability control for all new cars sold in that state. The southern state's commitment to compulsory stability control fitment in all new cars sold has received backing from other states and in-principle support from the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development & Local Government, Anthony Albanese, but there is no pending ADR (Australian Design Rule) in place as yet.

Victoria's stability control push follows earlier precedents such as the Western Australian government's insistence on mandatory immobilisers for all new cars sold, at the end of the 1990s.

"Victoria will do it, irrespective of a national approach -- and that's not helpful," Dickson says.

"What we would like is certainty. All the manufacturers are well aware of the benefits; [but] it's not within the power of individual companies to [bring it to market across the board].

Dickson offers two alternative strategies that he would prefer to a unilateral mandate from just one state. The Mazda-preferred strategy would be for the members of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) to introduce universal stability control for new passenger cars at a date to be decided voluntarily, with light commercial vehicles perhaps to follow at some indeterminate later date. He believes this voluntary practice could be effected earlier than the respective national legislation.

But if that's not workable, then Dickson agrees an appropriate ADR should be introduced at a national level. He doesn't believe that many car companies would be placed under immense pressure to comply with such a new ADR, provided reasonable advance notice is allowed by the administrative body, the Department of Transport and Regional Services.

Dickson tells us that the voluntary strategy has already been submitted to the FCAI and is on the agenda for further discussion -- the question being, can or will the FCAI members respond before either the Victorian Government mandates stability control systems for all new cars sold in the state or the Federal Government establishes a relevant ADR?

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