The new Ford Edge crossover vehicle's comprehensive all-standard safety technology—including its Safety Canopy side curtains with side airbags—will give customers a confident, controlled driving experience whether touring scenic country roads or navigating the urban jungle. "Edge’s confident handling helps drivers avoid accidents, especially when paired with the industry-exclusive AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control (RSC)," says Stephen Kozak, Ford Safety chief engineer. "Should an accident occur, Edge features a comprehensive package of passive safety features to help provide outstanding safety performance." Ford’s AdvanceTrac with RSC, standard on Edge, is the industry’s only electronic stability control system that uses two gyroscopic sensors to monitor both yaw and roll motions. Monitoring both motions provides class-leading side-slip and roll stability control. Edge comes standard with dual-stage driver and front-passenger air bags, an energy-absorbing steering column and knee bolster for the driver and an energy-absorbing glove box for the passenger. The driver seat uses a seat position sensor while the passenger seat uses an occupant classification sensor to help tailor air bag deployment. Both front seating positions are equipped with load-limiting safety belts and pretensioners. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that side airbags designed to enhance head and chest protection are extremely effective in reducing the risk of fatality for drivers involved in side impact crashes. Edge's Safety Canopy and seat-mounted side airbags provide this enhanced level of side impact and rollover protection—all in about 30,000ths of a second, said William Abramczyk, core restraints engineer at Ford. Side-impact protection is also achieved via solid unibody construction utilizing ultra-high-strength steel in rocker bars, B-pillars, and cross-member ladder frames on doors, as well as a reinforced greenhouse and energy-absorbing side door trim. Side impact protection has become more of a focus for consumers and automakers have increasingly touted their vehicle's side-impact protection in television commercials. Ford has sped up the standardization of safety features across its lineup. Two-thirds of Ford vehicles will have standard side air curtains, and half will have electronic stability control by the end of 2008. By the end of 2009, all of Ford's retail products will be built with standard side air bag protection and electronic stability control. Launching in November, Edge and its sibling Lincoln MKX are set to enter the hot CUV market. Equipped with an all-new 265-horsepower V-6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission, Edge delivers performance, quietness and fuel efficiency. Priced at under $26,000, Edge is garnering early interest with almost a million visits to its Web site, www.fordvehicles.com, and over 20,000 customer pre-orders have come in.