The Department for Transport (DfT) is calling on car makers to makes stability control systems standard, after new research showed that such systems could save 380 lives a year.
Autocar has been campaigning for the standard fitment of stability control since 2005, when we started a campaign to make the £400 device compulsory across Europe.
The DfT's research shows that cars with ESP are 25 per cent less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without it.
It also showed that ESP is especially effective in helping to prevent crashes that involve a vehicle skidding or overturning, with the potential to reduce serious accidents like this by up to 59 per cent.
Road safety minister Dr Stephen Ladyman said: "I call on manufacturers to fit this important piece of kit as standard more widely - it's not expensive and has the potential to make our roads significantly safer."
Nice sentiment, Dr Ladyman, but surely as minister for road safety you should be doing more than merely asking manufacturers to fit ESP – you should be making this law.
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