Motoring News

Road safety campaigners across the UK have welcomed 2009 changes to the crash test European New Car Assessment Programme that puts the focus on life-saving electronic stability control (ESC).

RoadSafe has been at the UK forefront of the Europe-wide ‘Choose ESC!’ campaign promoted by eSafetyAware, which for a number of years has called for the standard fitment of the technology to all new cars.

Recent research by the Department for Transport has shown that vehicles equipped with ESC are 25 per cent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash than those without it.

This suggests that there could be 380 fewer fatal crashes on UK roads and 7,800 less injuries if the technology was compulsory.

Euro NCAP has announced that from February 2009 ESC must be standard equipment on new models for them to achieve a top five-star safety rating.

Currently only 50 per cent of the new cars on sale in the UK are equipped with ESC as standard.

Written by Trevor Coffee