(NC)-Due to the impressive preliminary results of the safety benefits of electronic stability control, Transport Canada is developing a proposal to make ESC mandatory on all light vehicles available for sale in Canada that are manufactured on or after September 1, 2011.
Preliminary analysis of crash data by Transport Canada shows that light duty vehicles equipped with ESC were involved in approximately 30 per cent fewer serious crashes involving loss of control than were vehicles not equipped with ESC.
ESC can help you maintain control of your vehicle during an emergency manoeuvre, such as when you need to swerve or brake suddenly to avoid an obstacle. ESC monitors your steering and compares it to the direction the vehicle is travelling. When these don't match, ESC will automatically activate the brakes at one or more wheels for short periods of time, reduce engine power, or both. And unlike air bags, which only help once a collision has happened, ESC can help you avoid a collision in the first place.
In Canada in 2006, vehicle crashes involving loss of control resulted in the death of approximately 768 occupants, as well as causing serious injuries to 2,578. While ESC can prevent many types of crashes, it is especially effective in preventing those crashes that result from a loss of control. Transport Canada estimates that there would have been about 225 fewer deaths and 755 fewer people seriously injured on our roads if all passenger vehicles had been fitted with ESC that year.
Transport Canada and the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) are encouraging all Canadians to ask for ESC when they shop for a new vehicle.
For more information on ESC, check out www.tc.gc.ca/ESC.
- News Canada