RoadSafe boosts active systems

More ESP and ABS: industry body

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 25 October 2005 / Loading comments

Mercedes S Class with Brake Assist

Road safety group RoadSafe, which is government and auto industry sponsored, has come out in favour of active safety systems.

The body's director Adrian Walsh said: 'We're surprised how little most drivers know about the active safety systems on their cars. Developments in active safety offer real life saving advantages to drivers, particular in the wet, winter months. With the facts before them, we believe drivers would unhesitatingly demand these systems in their cars as they offer substantial benefits in reducing accidents on our roads.'

Systems cited by the body as a good thing include ABS, ESP (electronic stability programme), traction control for situations such as braking with near-side and off-side wheels on different surfaces, hard acceleration and driving in slippery conditions, and brake assist - the system pioneered by Mercedes. This boosts braking to the maximum when it detects an emergency situation, and was developed because research by Mercedes engineers found that many drivers don't push the brake pedal hard enough. One can only hope that the cars behind are similarly fitted.

According to RoadSafe, a recent study by DaimlerChrysler showed that ESP reduced collisions by 42 per cent and The Swedish National Road Administration reported in 2002 that ESP had reduced accidents on the country’s roads by 22 per cent in dry conditions and by some 33 per cent in the wet.

Walsh said: "If this was applied to British roads it could save some thousand deaths and serious injuries a year."

According to RoadSafe, vehicle systems manufacturer Bosch has reported that installation rates in the UK are among the lowest levels in Europe with only 29 per cent of new cars fitted with ESP compared to 55 per cent in Germany and a European average figure of 37 per cent.

Yet if RoadSafe paid more attention to driver education and concentration levels, maybe the extra gizmos would be less necessary and would allow those who enjoy a drive to get on with it...