| Speaking at the Geneva motor show FIA President Max Mosley said: “We support the ‘Choose ESC!’ campaign because there is no doubt that a wider availability of this active safety technology will contribute significantly to the European Union’s goal of halving the number of road traffic fatalities by 2010.
“To achieve this, the FIA believes that more information on the benefits of ESC should be made more widely and consistently available to motoring consumers.”
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is an active safety technology which controls the braking system of a motor vehicle to avoid oversteer or understeer and to help drivers retain control of their vehicles. It has significant potential both to avoid crashes and to reduce their consequences. A range of studies in Europe, the USA and elsewhere show that ESC can reduce passenger car single-vehicle crashes by as much as 35 per cent.
However, since the introduction of ESC in 1995, market penetration of the system remains low in many countries and there is still a lack of consumer awareness about its safety benefits.
Mosley added: “The FIA believes that ESC should be fitted as standard equipment on all new cars sold in Europe by 2012. This would bring Europe in line with the policy adopted in September 2006 by the US National Highway Administration (NHTSA).”
The ‘Choose ESC!’ campaign will be launched officially at a major event in Rome on 8 May. Backed by the FIA and the FIA Foundation, the launch will feature the release by the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) of an EU wide ESC availability survey. The event will also include live demonstrations comparing the performance of cars with and without the system.
President Mosley will be joined at the launch by European Commissioner Viviane Reding, Ivan Hodac, Secretary General of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, Nicole Nason, Administrator of the NHTSA, and Claes Tingvall, Chairman of Euro NCAP.
The launch will also feature an international workshop with high level participation from the NHTSA and representatives of Australia’s State of Victoria. The NHTSA has recently proposed an international standard for ESC systems at the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization Vehicle Regulations (WP29), whilst a similar ESC awareness campaign was recently launched in Victoria.
Participants at the event will include all the major stakeholders in intelligent vehicle safety systems including motoring organisations, consumer groups, motor industry and related service suppliers, national authorities from EU member states and representatives of the news media.
The ‘Choose ESC!’ event is organised in cooperation with Euro NCAP and the European Commission. |
