Motorists Face Road Risks
But snub safety equipment
Motorists face road risks but snub safety equipment
16 April 2008
Motorists are facing a daily battle against the dangers caused by debris spread across the UK’s road network according to research. The survey results showed a staggering 89% of drivers have had to swerve dangerously to avoid material on the road - with remnants of tyres, cardboard boxes, and plastic bags some of the items most commonly seen on motorways and dual carriageways.
Even more worrying is the lack of prospect for improvement in the safety of drivers attempting such a high-risk manoeuvre - particularly in treacherous weather conditions - in which many have to react spontaneously. In a linked study,it was also found nearly two-thirds of motorists have no interest in buying a new car equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC), an active safety system which rapidly detects the risk of a skid, often even before the driver, and uses the vehicle’s brakes to bring the vehicle safely back into line. A car fitted with the technology is 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident compared to one which does not have it.
“The findings from the survey are very disappointing”, said David Fulker, head of UK marketing for chassis systems control at Bosch, the inventors of the technology. “Studies show that stability control braking could reduce skidding accidents by up to 80% yet this research shows that motorists are still unaware of its life saving benefits. We welcome the promotion of ESC at the point of vehicle purchase.”
As the installation of this active safety system is currently not compulsory, only around 50% of new car models sold in the UK in 2007 are fitted with ESC. If every vehicle in the country was fitted with ESC, 7,800 accidents would be avoided each year and 380 lives would be saved. The European Commission is looking to have all new cars sold in the EU by 2011 to be fitted as standard with the technology.