subject: What is Electronic Stability Control (ESC)? [print this page] What is Electronic Stability Control (ESC)?
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is one of many technologies developed to improve the safety of vehicles, and is now becoming a common feature of many new cars thanks to overwhelmingly positive results in benchmark tests and out on the roads.
An advanced form of traction control, ESC responds to a loss of steering control to minimise skids, hitting the brakes automatically on individual wheels to help guide the vehicle back on track and back into the control of the driver. ESC operates at all times, monitoring the steering direction compared to the vehicle direction, but only kicks in when the direction of the vehicle veers wildly from its intended course.
One advantage of ESC is that it can be highly effective on a variety of road surfaces, including roads covered by frost or ice. While ESC has never been intended as a replacement for good driving practice, the technology can detect and respond to problems much faster than the human driver, often detecting that steering needs to be corrected before the effects of a skid are felt by the motorist. The system usually alerts operators to its actions however, in the form of flashing dashboard indicators, to avoid confusion and over-confidence among drivers.
There have been many studies analysing the effectiveness of ESC at reducing road accidents and fatalities since the technology was first introduced by Bosch, Mercedes-Benz and BMW in the mid-1990s. The general consensus is that the presence of ESC could prevent as many as one third of all fatal road accidents, by restoring control at a pivotal time, as well as minimise damage such as a cracked windshield from collisions.
The impressive safety record of ESC has led many to proclaim the technology to be the most important advancement in car safety in recent decades, leading to many companies considering it an essential requirement for their car fleets. Uptake of cars equipped with ESC is particularly strong in European countries such as Sweden, Denmark and Germany, where vehicle safety and innovation is always a top priority.
ESC technology is also continuing to advance and spawn new developments, most notably Roll Stability Control (RSC) which reduces the risk of rollovers in heavy vehicles.
