Car manufacturers in the UK have been slammed by the car safety organisation Euro NCAP for the lack of newly produced cars having Electronic Stability Control (ESC) fitted as standard.
The Euro NCAP study highlights how far behind the UK is compared to its European counterparts. It shows that out of the 25 member states, the UK finished near the bottom (21st), with only 56 per cent of new cars sold here having ESC fitted, while Denmark came top of the list with 77 per cent.
Studies have shown that vehicles fitted with the safety system are less likely to be involved in accidents .
ESC can reduce the number of accidents in the UK by 20 per cent, resulting in around 240 lives being saved and the prevention of around 3000 serious injuries each year in Britain . Now Euro NCAP is calling on manufacturers to fit ESC as standard on all new cars .
Electronic Stability Control is an anti-skid system that, within a fraction of a second, applies braking to individual tyres when it recognises a car is going out of control, or a skid developing, and helps the driver maintain full control of the car .
Adrian Hobbs, General Secretary at Euro NCAP said, "The UK has a dreadfully low fitment rate, which is surprising because historically it places great importance on road safety ."
"We must all do what we can to raise awareness of ESC’s importance. Car manufacturers respond to the demands of customers but customers will only demand ESC when they become aware of the benefits," Mr Hobbs added.
During a special launch to raise awareness of ESC, the European Commission announced it is considering introducing legislation to make ESC mandatory on all new cars in 2009.
But Ivan Hadoc of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association argued that the main reason ESC is not fitted on all new cars by manufacturers is down to price .
