EDMUND KING. President, Automobile Association
Drivers who would most benefit from anti-skid protection are those that are most dismissive of its benefits, an AA survey has found. Even though Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is regarded as the biggest car safety innovation since the seat belt, with potential to save 250 lives a year in the UK and 4000 across the EU, car showroom staff must take some of the blame for not selling the benefits of this essential safety device.
Take-up of the system in Britain is low, largely because only two out of five drivers know of its existence.
An AA/Populus survey of 16,000 AA members in June 2010 showed that experience breeds wisdom as only 13-14 per cent of over-55s see anti-skid protection as pointless. This compares with 27-28 per cent of 18-34 year olds – arguably the group that would most benefit because of driving behaviour, work pressure and the need to protect young families. Compared to other European countries, fewer Britons are driving cars with ESC. Young families are particularly at risk as according to the latest figures, only 18 per cent of smaller cars were bought with ESC last year compared to 48 per cent in German and 34 per cent in Italy. The small cars being sold without ESC today will also be the cars that the "ESC-blasé" 18-34 year olds are buying in the future.
A survey of five European countries shows that the usually safety-savvy British fall behind the Germans, Italians and Poles in being aware of the benefits of ESC, with only around 40 per cent knowing that the system exists. This lack of awareness means that the British are unlikely to choose ESC in their next car, in spite of the huge safety benefits that it can offer. Only a third of Britons would want this innovation against 60 per cent of Germans.
But, if Britons are told that the system does exist, an AA Populus Survey of almost 16,000 has shown that 80 per cent of respondents would consider it important in making a final choice of cars.
Buyers of new cars in the UK place much reliance on what we are told by sales staff at garages but it appears that many are not told about ESC. We hope the Choose ESC campaign will inform UK motorists about the next best safety device since the seat-belt and prompt them to ask for it when they buy a car. Other optional extras like fancy wheels, paint schemes and other add-ons may make the car look more flash, but do nothing in a crash. We hope to remedy this, with F1 star Lewis Hamilton, among others, enrolled to join the AA and the FIA in lifting the veil on the benefits of ESC rather like the UK’s clunk-click campaign did for seat-belts in the 1970s and early 80s.”
ESC uses the power of modern computing to allow the car to take action – by braking individual wheels. This allows the driver to stay under control at times when in older cars would have certainly lost control. This sort of braking is particularly effective in cutting skidding, and keeping the car heading in the direction that the driver is intending.
One frequently voiced concern about ESC is that it would make drivers take risks that they wouldn’t in a car without the aid. In the AA Populus survey of nearly 16,000 AA members, 56 per cent thought it would make the roads safer against 17 per cent who thought it would make the roads less safe.
ESC will be compulsory on all new types of vehicles sold in Europe from 1 November 2011 and for all new vehicles from 1 November 2014. But at the moment lives may be at risk as car showroom staff are not selling the benefits of this essential safety device in the UK.
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