Devon motorists ‘Choose ESC!’

A group of Devon motorists experienced firsthand a life saving technology called ESC (Electronic Stability Control), which prevents cars skidding sideways, and could prevent 1,000 accidents and save 10 lives every year on Devon’s roads if fitted as standard to all cars.

This innovative technology, invented by Bosch just over a decade ago, was demonstrated to a number of motorists from the county at the Devon Drivers’ Centre in Exeter. The event, supported by Mercedes-Benz, forms part of a Europe-wide campaign called Choose ESC!, which aims to make ESC standard on all cars sold in Europe by 2012.

The motorists, who were invited to the event through local radio station Exeter FM, included Steve Glover, a local taxi driver, Sharon and Alan Newham – who has been trained as a driver instructor – and Breck Bickleigh, who drives a Mercedes-Benz A-Class that has ESC fitted as standard.

The Department of Transport recently reported that 380 lives could be saved and 7,800 accidents avoided in the UK if ESC were fitted to every vehicle, which emphasises why it is being dubbed the most important road safety innovation since the compulsory wearing of seat belts.

Unfortunately the UK is way behind its European neighbours, with only 48 percent of new cars registered being fitted with the technology. Bosch and RoadSafe – a leading forum for promoting and devising solutions to road safety problems – are working closely with councils such as Devon to raise the profile of this important safety technology and to encourage drivers and companies to specify ESC on their next new car or van.

“Devon County Council has been recognised a Beacon council in the field of road casualty reduction”, said Jeremy Phillips, the Council’s Road Safety Officer, continuing “Devon recognises that single vehicle loss of control (SVLoC) collisions are part of the casualty reduction challenge - especially in a rural county where these types of crashes can be more common.”

Speaking of the ESC campaign, Jeremy affirmed: “As part of our efforts to meet this challenge we are engaged in a rural road safety demonstration project called Country Mile. The Choose ESC message will form part of that project, in recognition of the important role that in-vehicle technologies have in supporting our work on improving driving standards.”

ESC is an active safety system that monitors the direction of the vehicle 25 times a second. If it senses that the vehicle is moving in a different direction than that required by the driver, the technology intervenes instantly by braking the relevant wheels thereby bringing the vehicle back under control.

The campaign is also an integral part of the government backed Driving for Better Business programme, instigated to reduce the number of at-work accidents. A representative of the programme was on hand at the Devon Drivers Centre to outline details of how companies can become involved in what is a vital business initiative.