Has Electronic Stability Control helped you?
A study by MUARC has found that having Electronic Stability Control (ESC) fitted to your car reduces the risk of driver injury in a crash by up to 32 per cent. Research also showed the risk of driver injury in a 4WD in a single vehicle crash was reduced by 68 per cent.
What is Electronic Stability Control?
ESC is an advanced vehicle safety technology that compares the position of the steering wheel to the vehicle’s direction of travel. When a difference is detected, it automatically applies brake pressure to individual wheels. By correcting understeer or oversteer, ESC helps keep the driver in control of their vehicle. Some versions of ESC also reduce engine power.
It is different to ABS and traction control as it acts independently of the driver but it does act in conjunction with these functions.
Does my car have ESC?
ESC is also known as Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) – depending on the vehicle manufacturer. If your vehicle is fitted with one of these or a similar variant, then yes, it does have ESC.
Prior to 2007, few cars came standard with ESC. After its development, it was often available as an option, if at all, and mainly on luxury car models. However, today many manufacturers are making ESC standard in new models, sometimes even across the entire range.
MUARC’s ESC study
The study used crash data from “Australia and New Zealand to evaluate the effectiveness of ESC in reducing crash risk and to establish whether benefits estimated in overseas studies have translated to the Australian and New Zealand environments.”
MUARC looked at crashes involving 7,699 vehicles comprised of 90 different models, making it the broadest study of ESC-fitted vehicles carried out to date.
It found that:
- Vehicles with ESC had a 32 per cent reduction in the risk of single vehicle crashes in which drivers were injured;
- ESC was more effective in preventing single vehicle crashes for 4WDs (68 per cent reduction) than for passenger cars (28 per cent reduction);
- ESC was more effective in preventing crashes resulting in driver injury than less serious crashes.
The study did not show if ESC was effective in preventing or reducing the severity of multiple vehicle crashes. But it did predict that ESC would prevent “nearly 500 serious injury crashes in Australia over the period to 2015.”
Have you felt ESC activate while behind the wheel? Did it help? If your car isn’t fitted with ESC, would you make sure your next car was?
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November 28th, 2007 at 10:59 am
In safe circumstances in the wet I provoked my wife’s Honda Accord Euro into activating stability control. The car went just where I pointed it, with some thumps as the computer did its thing. I will not buy another car without ASC.
November 28th, 2007 at 11:39 am
I think all cars should come standard with ESC. “Vehicles with ESC had a 32 per cent reduction in the risk of single vehicle crashes in which drivers were injured;” that fact alone is reasno enough for everyone to want it and for all car manufacturers to install it.
i would definitely want my next car to have ESC!
November 28th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
ESC is so effective that it should be mandatory, and certainly not an expensive option on any new car or SUV. I have removed 2 cars from my list of replacement cars, because they do not have ESC.
My only concern about ESC is that car designers will increasingly design suspensions that depend on ESC for normal day-to-day driving, and not just for emergencies. That design approach can easily evolve to the point where ESC masks handling defects of poor suspension design making these future cars dangerous if/when their ESC fails ….just like modern fly-by-wire fighter jets that are unflyable without their computers constantly acting and interpreting between the pilot and the aircraft controls.
November 28th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
My XR6 has DSC and I have provoked it under reasonably controlled circumstances (not in the middle of the M4 during peak hour) to activate so that I know what happens.
It performs very well and points the car where I want it to go.
Whilst I believe all vehicles should be fitted with this device, from another point of view, drivers should be able to control their vehicles without having to rely on these devices.
Reduce the crashes by reducing the number of low performance drivers – dont compensate by giving them an electronic aid.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
I purchased a vehicle with ESD three years ago and in that time has assisted in preventing what could have been 2 major accidents. My vehicle is also fitted so that when the ESD activates is disengages the cruise control … a great feature.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
I was driving with my family in our new vehicle that is an AWD with ESC between Jindabyne and Perisher in a reasonably heavy snow shower when a roo bounded out of nowhere and I swerved on to the other side of the road to avoid it and swerved back quickly with no problems whatsoever.
The vehicle stayed true to the road through the ESC and AWD combination on a cold and snowy road. I was ecstatic with the control I maintained especially as it was more of a reflex action what I did due to the speed with which it happened. I knew then that all of the research that had gone into this vehicle had proved itself in an instant.
November 28th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
As already stated I do think all new cars should come standard with ESC. Not every driving situation can be controlled and this new research shows how much it does help.
Hopefully this is something NRMA will push for.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
ESC, ABS, BA, Side curtain and front airbags… I want everything for any future vehicle… In direct reply to your question, I personally have never felt or known the ESC (known as ESP by Renault) in my wifes Renault Laguna to cut in and I am not aware that it has while she is driving (she is the principle driver) but the the fact that the vehicle was fitted with all that stuff as standard 5 years ago when we bought it is the reason we did buy it (plus it is a V6). It means that I can rest a little easier while mum’s taxi is transporting my wife and 2 kids. At the time we bought it only the europeans, the Mazda 6 and the Accord Euro offered such features and I did not want a 4 cylinder.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
I have had stability control for six years with MY01 Subaru Outback H6 (VDC Vehicle Dynamic Control). It works quietly and transparently in the background and came into play twice; the first time on a dirt track in the Upper Hunter Valley and the second time when I blew an bearing on a boat trailer … the VDC averted a potenial jack knife. I bought the H6 with safety in mind (VDC, four airbags, chassis design etc) and would not buy another vehicle without it.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:44 am
I purchased a Mazda3 2.3SP in December last year – I always buy Japanese cars. I had to order it as VSC was an option – I would have thought it should be standard. In some situations it is desirable to turn it off – it can be turned off but always comes on when the engine is restarted.
I am concerned that it lowers driver skill as driving a cars with and without VSC could create problems for low skill / experienced drivers. It costs very little for manufacturers to add VSC to a car that has ABS & traction control. I think within 3 years it will be standard on all cars. The NRMA can help by promoting its desirability
November 29th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
ESC SHOULD BE STANDARD!
it shouldnt be optional bcause it is not an accessory!
anything safety wise should be implemented immediately.
My care has ESC and while i have used it thus far (good thing i guess) I feel safer knowing i will be able to control my car with extra support.
December 1st, 2007 at 6:39 am
ESC should be standard especially on 4WDs/softroaders. I drive a Golf GTI (ESC) and a Nissan X-trail (No ESC). The X-trail feels like a wobbly blancmange after the gti and I find myself nursing it around corners on twistier roads. The couple of occasions I’ve needed to take emergency action such as braking to avoid wildlife/P-plater pulling out of junction have been nerve jangling experiences which involved fighting with the steering wheel to keep control. ESC would have been a great help in these situations and would certainly benefit cars with poorer handling credentials.
December 5th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Experienced it. Don’t like it. But I don’t like ABS and power steering either.
Observations have already made that driver ed and properly engineered, constructed purpose built vehicles are basic to driver efficiency, enjoyment, for those of us who travel beyond the madding urban fringe, putting our cars into challenging and genuine off-road terrain. And I mean dinkum Aussie outback ruts and ‘highways’ like the Arnhem from Mataranka and the Connie Sue into the Great Victoria. Even a lot of our prized High Country and the terrain around the Flinders, and up through the Kimberley demands proper cars with decent design and quality engineering as well as honest capability.
The Army has long favoured the rugged capability of the traditional Land Rover because of its lack of gadgetry and its capability, with after market quality control bugs sorted of course.
But the Land Rover Defender is a proper 4WD with the ruggedness to withstand constant corrugations, ruts, outback tracks, flint sharded mountains, rivers and desert.
The Army also insists its drivers learn how to drive, no matter what sort of civilian licence or training they might have. And there’s the rub. A civilian licence in Australia is mostly bought in the ribbon coastal fringe cities where the skill of motoring and joy of driving are inconclusive; where the choice of vehicle is – as demonstrated on the NRMA’s webpages – dictated as much by penny pinching as it is by marketing fashion and that distracting furphy of ‘residual value’.
Sure, we pay lip service to driver education, and give a cusory nod to high school driver ed, while at the same deploring the aggregate statistics of under-25 year age group road accident involvement.
City driving schools rarely take pupils out onto the highways, never into the rugged mountain ranges and ball-bearing slippery rural tracks.
Instructors rarely demonstrate skid pan correction procedure and rear wheel steering. Not that there’s much opportunity to do so: vehicle manufacturers continue to flog lighter, flimsier, cars that rely on wayward front wheel drive torque steer and power steering. This last ‘feature’ is unaccountably questionable for such lightweights.
So, without the bother of Federal Transport Departmental guidelines for graded vehicle licensing beyond the basically unsatisfactory ‘P’ plate, automatic-manual, national heavy vehicle, bus and articulated categories the ancillary and automatic ‘safety’ wizardy of ABS/stability controls are an optimistic fallback at best.
Frustrated with the hazard that ABS provokes on long outback stretches such as the Plenty Highway where directional stability is frequently challenged by the road surface I’ve resorted to disconnecting the system.
Far better to be able first to drive according to the basics, if possible down to the nub of Pirsig’s ‘Zen and the Art of…”, especially when the gadgetry fails and driver awareness and ability are taxed.
Of course, better and safer cars aren’t made by cost-cutting accountants. Arthur H. illustrated this in his epic novel about the car industry.
While gadgetry preoccupies the Japanese and the German auto makers, Australia has a far greater need for driver training and awareness skills graduated according to terrain and vehicle.
On the other hand, the safest vehicle in Australia might therefore be a Robinson helicopter.
December 17th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I THINK IT IS DISGUSTING THAT A TOYOTA PRIUS OR HONDA DID NOT GET ANY MENTION IN YOUR CAR AWARDS.
THE NRMA SHOULD BE LEADING THE CHARGE FOR A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE BY THE MANUFACTURERS, AND YET YOU EVEN GIVE AN AWARD TO THE 4WD TRACTORS THAT ARE BEING DRIVEN ON OUR ROADS.
I SAVE $500-$600 A MONTH IN FUEL BILLS AND THAT IS JUST IN MY PRIUS ALONE, I AM DOING MY BIT TO REDUCE POLUTION AS WELL… BUT YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO CREATE AWARENESS IN THE CONSUMER AND MAKE THE HOLDEN, FORD, ETC ETC MOVE INTO THIS FIELD.
MAYBE HOLDEN & FORD WILL COME UP WITH A HYBRID V8 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT???? IT’S WHAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM THEM.
February 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 am
It’s all very well saying that ESP needs to be mandatory fitment and not optional equipment. I believe it should also be non-switchable, like ABS. I annoys me when many motoring writers praise the virtues of ESP and it’s life-saving abilities, then criticise another car for it’s ESP being too intrusive. Isn’t that a bit like saying a car has brakes that are too good? Being able to swich off ESP so you can ‘have some fun’ is not sending a good message.
July 26th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
ESC should actually be banned. It’s making excuses for bad drivers and eventually due to trickle down, it will be impossible for drivers to LEARN how to react in an emergency. Most drivers can barely drive in a straight line now. It will be far far worse as ESC gains momentum.
Electronics are already causing a rash of “chain reaction accidents” here in Canada (Ontario) due to people following too close in winter conditions expecting garbage like ESC to save their carelessness. It’s be far more effective to have EVERY drive involved in a 100 car crash charged with careless driving then adding electronic excuses. If people HAD to learn to control their vehicles, they might just be a little more careful on the road.
ESC has taken the “Oh Sh**” factor out when someone is driving too fast in slippery conditions so now when they DO lose control, they’re going a LOT faster! And have learned NOTHING as the stability control covers up their bad driving skills.
Want better drivers? Ban ESC.
January 6th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
ESC is great, on road. However, I’m a firm believer that any car fitted wit it should have the ability to have it switched off – fully. My 2008 X-trail has the ‘ESP OFF’ button, but it only partially turns off the system.
I got bogged with the family in some soft mud a few months ago – and the ESP applied brakes each time I tried to power out of the mud, stalling the engine. If it wasn’t for some marginal mobile phone coverage, we could have been in serious trouble.
February 9th, 2010 at 8:41 am
I just slid off the road due to my ESC feature. I started to slide and my car took over and I could not get out of the slide. My ESC kicked in and my car breaked on its own. Had it not breaked I probably could have got out of it. I now know to turn it off in very icy conditions.
February 16th, 2010 at 6:44 am
I can say that the DSC (dynamic) is sometimes a pain, mainly when attempting slide cornering. is such a turn off in some of the situations when I forget to switch it off. Once in a blue moon when the road permits it, after preparing the right speed, attitude and angle: boom!!! the DSC kicks in and spoils the fun. On the other hand in some situations I was so happy of having it on!!! As a conclusion I think is the best thing since sliced bread, airbags and ABS in this specific order. I rather have it annoying me for a few seconds when it kicks in when it shouldn’t, but is a real life saviour. I wouldn’t get another car without DSC SRS ABS and airbags. I am still thinking about the new radar/ sonar emergency stop driver overide, DISTRONYC PLUS (BAP) BRAKE ASSIST PLUS. It’s soon going to be SKYNET!!! Unpluggggg itttt!!!!!
February 16th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Dear Den,
If your young one would get your car on a saturday night and knowing that he / she is quite inexperienced and again YOU knowing that he/ she will try it a bit down the road; what would you preffer to lend? a car with or without ESC?
I don’t mean no disrespect, but
“Life is easy when judgemental…”
June 2nd, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Training is the key to a good driver, not electronic aid. In the event that the cars electronics malfunction or fail and the driver doesn’t know how to manage the car in an emergency without the “safety” systems then how is that person expected to control the vehicle.
Personally i have purchased a car with ESC and never bothered to turn it off. within a week it nearly caused 3 accidents due to poor weather and not activating fast enough. on all 3 occasions the back of the car slid sideways both in a straight line and while rounding a corner. While on two occasions it didn’t activate at all. the time it decided to activate i was turning right and the rear of the car slid out and i compensated due to training. the ESC then turned on while i had the wheel turned and nearly put the car into a concrete power pole. my wife now is too scared to drive my car in case she forgets to turn off the ESC.
We need to train people how to manage cars in all conditions. we need compulsory advanced driver training rather than more gizmos and gadgets to go wrong or play with on a car.
Personally my next car purchase will not have ABS ESC and traction control.