The European Union will make it mandatory for all cars sold within Europe to be fitted with ESP (Electronic Stability Programme). The law is enforced to all vehicles with a gross weight of under 3.5tons. After a year the law will pass to all vehicles on the roads.

ESP Life Saving Stats

“ESP saves lives,” says Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. An accident research study by Bosch confirms its effectiveness. In 2011, ESP prevented more than 33 000 accidents involving injury and saved more than 1 000 lives in the EU member states. Since being launched in 1995, ESP has prevented 190 000 accidents and saved more than 6 000 lives across Europe.

In fact they make mention that the only more important safety system in a car is a seat-belt. ESP is even more important than an Airbag. “ESP is an unparalleled success story that we hope to replicate outside Europe as well,” says Gerhard Steiger. According to independent studies, up to 80 percent of skidding accidents on the road could be prevented if all vehicles were equipped with the anti-skid system.

How ESP Works

Swerving on dry, wet, muddy, or slippery roads often results in severe traffic accidents. Using smart sensors, ESP measures 25 times per second as to whether the car is actually moving in the direction that the driver is steering it in. If the measured values do not match, the anti-skid system intervenes and first reduces engine torque. If that is not sufficient, it additionally brakes individual wheels, generating the counterforce needed to keep a vehicle on course.

For more details about clever car safety systems, click hereand for South Africa’s safest cars for 2014, click here.