The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Fatal Road Crashes Can Be Dramatically Reduced Says RoadSafe


PHOTO (select to view enlarged photo)

LONDON - September 30, 2007: UK Government statistics* just published have revealed that 35% of fatal road accidents involve loss of vehicle control. According to RoadSafe, the road safety partnership of leading motor and transport companies, this figure could be dramatically reduced if all vehicles were fitted with stability control technology.

RoadSafe has been at the forefront of promoting the considerable road safety benefits of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and is a leading partner in the recently launched a European wide campaign “Choose ESC!”** “The number of cars fitted with stability control has been increasing in the UK and has now reached 42% of new car registrations”, said RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh, “but we are still lagging behind the rest of Europe, in Germany for instance the figure is over 80% and in Sweden over 90%.”

RoadSafe is calling on company bosses to ensure that their staff driving company cars choose those fitted with ESC. “To do so would make an immediate improvement to the safety of employees and would be an indication of a true duty of care” said Adrian.

Commenting on the potential to reduce young driver crashes, he added: “It is in the small car sector that stability control is an imperative. Young and new drivers go for city cars and they statistically are more prone to having an accident. ESC will demonstrably help to reduce this worrying statistic ***”.

About RoadSafe
RoadSafe's mission is to reduce road deaths and injuries through building partnerships between the motor industry and related companies, traffic engineers, the police and road safety professionals, promoting the safe design and use of vehicles and roads and encouraging education and innovation. www.roadsafe.com

Every day more than 150 vehicles driven on company business crash. Every year there are 14,000 road deaths and serious injuries involving people at work.

RoadSafe runs the “Driving for Better Business” programme as part of the Department for Transport’s “Driving for Work” road safety strategy. It is supported by the Think! public information campaigns. The aim of the “Driving for Better Business” programme is to develop and co-ordinate a network of employer champions to promote good practice in order to catalyse a reduction in deaths and injuries caused by vans and cars used for business purposes For further press information please contact either Adrian Walsh at RoadSafe on 020 7344 9236 or Chris Wakley at Automotive PR on 020 7494 8050

* Department for Transport (DfT) Road Casualties Great Britain 2006: Annual Report.

** “Choose ESC!” is a major pan European campaign to promote the life-saving technology Electronic Stability Control (ESC). It is a public information campaign supported by the European Commission and Euro NCAP. ”Choose ESC!” has also been endorsed by the FIA and Michael Schumacher.

*** About one in eight (13%) of motor vehicle licence holders is aged 25 or under, yet more than a quarter (29%) of motor vehicle drivers killed are in this age group.