Negligence lawsuits filed on behalf of the families say that Ford chose to sell the 2005 vehicle without ESC, which was designed to prevent out-of-control accidents.

On Dec. 2, 2006, Bryan Bredy, 16, of Boca Raton, was driving his mother and two friends to church on the Sawgrass Expressway in northern Broward County when the family's Ford Focus went out of control and plunged into a lake.

Passenger Jonathan Emmanuel, 16, managed to swim to safety but jumped back in to rescue his 13-year-old brother, Daniel, and Bryan's mother who were trapped in the vehicle underwater. Other drivers saw the accident, stopped and helped pull Bryan, who was injured, to the bank.

When fire department divers arrived to rescue Jonathan, Daniel and Ms. Poty, it was too late. Jonathan died in the hospital later that day. Marjory Poty died a week later. Daniel survived, but today suffers from catastrophic brain damage.

Electronic stability control systems, introduced in Europe in the 1990s, are gradually becoming standard in new vehicles sold in the United States. Such systems reduce the likelihood of fatalities in single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Ford offered ESC in the European Focus in 1999, which is an identical car to this 2005 accident vehicle. Ford briefly offered ESC in the US Focus starting in 2001 but stopped in 2003. Reportedly, ESC was only available in the US Focus as a part of an $6,000 option package. Actual cost of ESC is estimated to be about $130.

GM and Ford Quietly Delete ABS

It seems that both GM and Ford are deleting ABS from their vehicles as standard equipment. The 2005 Ford Focus is not equip with ABS. This may have contributed to the unfortunate conclusion of this accident.