Electronic Stability Program in vehicles can reduce fatal accidents by 43 per cent, says US study

Single-vehicle accidents are those that do not involve any other road users.

The results of the study show that the risk of fatal rollover, a common cause of accidents, is reduced in large off-road vehicles and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) by as much as 80 per cent, while the reduction for cars is 77 per cent. The study concluded that ESP is second only to seat belts in terms of its life safety potential, and in consequence, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling for ESP to be fitted as standard in every vehicle. ESP reacts instantly to a sudden obstacle, preventing skidding when performing a fast avoidance maneuver or when negotiating a wrongly estimated bend.

"This study provides further evidence of the effectiveness of the Electronic Stability Program. Bosch was the first supplier in the world to begin series production of Electronic Stability Program, and has produced more than 20 million systems to date. The new study vindicates Bosch's continued emphasis on developing innovative life-safety technologies like ESP," said Oleg Riabstev, General Manager, Middle East Operation, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket (Bosch AA).

"The findings of this study are of particular significance to the UAE and other GCC countries, where accident and fatality rates are alarmingly high."

The study confirms initial results published by the IIHS in 2004. The current data, however, is even more meaningful, as more accidents were investigated, and a greater number of different vehicle types were included in the study. Directly following the 2004 publication, North American manufacturers decided to offer the active safety system as standard equipment in nearly all SUV models by the end of 2006. Since then, according to the IIHS, the proportion of newly registered vehicles of this type fitted with ESP® has grown faster than that of comparable cars.

In Europe too, and particularly in Sweden and Germany, a Bosch study shows that the proportion of vehicles fitted with ESP has risen over recent years. Eighty-five per cent of newly registered vehicles in Sweden featured the anti-skid system, as did 72 per cent in Germany, in the latter case an increase of 7 per cent over the previous year. The proportion of European vehicles fitted with the system in 2005 was 40 per cent.