ESC is one of the most important automotive safety developments of the 20th century.
Since its 1995 introduction, Bosch has produced 100 million electronic stability control systems. Technically, ESC intervenes to keep vehicles on course and prevent skidding accidents by using differential braking to adjust the yaw axis of a vehicle helping to prevent oversteer and understeer.
Whether this was caused by driver error or unexpected road conditions, the 1995 world debut of ESC by Bosch made driving safer. ESC is now mandatory in a number of countries. Moreover, a growing number of countries are making the system mandatory for new vehicles.
According to studies, ESC can prevent up to 80% of skidding accidents. A detailed analysis of the comprehensive German In-depth Accident Study’s (GIDAS) database shows that in 2011, 540 lives were saved in Germany alone because of ESC. This year, 60% percent of all cars on German roads are equipped with ESC.
ESC is also mandatory for all vehicles up to 4.5 tons in the United States.
It is also mandatory in Australia and Israel. In Japan, Korea, Russia, and Turkey, regulations will come into force within the next few years requiring its use. Around the world, 55% of all passenger cars and light trucks are currently equipped with ESC.
In China, the world’s largest vehicle market almost a quarter of new passenger cars rolling off the assembly lines feature the system.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
