How does ESP reduce road injuries and deaths? ESP is designed to assist the driver in just about every critical driving situation, including emergency braking, sudden manoeuvres to avoid obstacles, and reacting to the early stages of skidding to restore the steered direction of the vehicle.

How do we know ESP reduces road injuries and deaths? Road accident data collated in Europe, USA and Japan over the past decade reveals that this technology reduces road accident trauma and community cost.

International research shows that eliminating skidding is critical to avoiding accidents. The data reveals that up to 25% of vehicle accidents involving personal injury can be attributed to skidding. Studies that have monitored vehicles fitted with ESP show a reduction in all types of accidents of up to 50%.

This has led to a dramatic growth in support for ESP by international road safety authorities and growing adoption of the technology, particularly in Europe where almost 40% of new vehicles are fitted with dynamic stability control systems.

Australia recognises ESP benefits

In 2004, ESP type systems were fitted to about 4% of Australian made vehicles. Australian road safety stakeholders are now recognising the benefits of ESP and this fitment rate is expected to grow rapidly.

The launch of the Ford Territory in May 2004 marked the first locally manufactured vehicle to be fitted with ESP. Today, an increasing number of Australian vehicle manufacturers are fitting ESP to more mid range vehicles, as well as luxury models.

The Australian National Road Safety Strategy 2001 to 2010 targets a 40% reduction in the number of road fatalities by promoting a range of road safety improvements, including the sale of safer vehicles.

Victoria’s Vehicle Safety Strategy and Action Plan endorses the increased use of active crash avoidance features, such as ESP, and the increased use of passive features, including driver, passenger and curtain side airbags. In May 2005, the Victorian State Coroner recommended that car makers introduce dynamic stability control (ESP) as standard in passenger cars, in recognition of the potential to significantly reduce fatalities on Australian roads.

At the annual Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia Safety Seminar held in Melbourne in August 2005, road safety authorities such as Victoria Police, the Department of Transport and Regional Services and VicRoads encouraged the fitment of ESP to vehicles sold in Australia.

In Adelaide in September 2005, Bosch ESP was among the technologies demonstrated to road safety stakeholders at the Intelligent Transport Systems Australia Smart Demo – an international display of state of the art vehicle safety and telematics equipment.

Award winning Bosch ESP

The multiple award winning Bosch ESP system has been recognised by global organisations; including the 2004 Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia Bronze Award for engineering excellence, and the Allianz Insurance AG Security Prize “Genius 2005,” for the impact ESP has on reducing the number and severity of vehicle accidents.

Active safety systems – the future

Bosch continuously improves ESP with further safety and convenience features, which can be integrated as required by vehicle manufacturers. ESP is designed to integrate with other existing and developing technologies to provide a comprehensive range of active vehicle dynamics packages.

Safety functions such as Electronic Brake Prefill and Brake Disc Wiping feature in the Bosch “ESP plus” package to shorten braking distances.

The most highly developed version is ESP Premium. Based on a conventional hydraulic braking system, it performs the additional functions of an electro mechanical braking system, without making costly changes to the vehicle's electrical system. By utilising a much more powerful pump, ESP® premium is able to respond very quickly, with the driver barely hearing or sensing anything at all. In critical situations the speed of pressure accumulation is increased by a factor of more than three.

The clear direction for future development lies in the linking of ESP with other active systems in the vehicle to create Vehicle Dynamics Management. A network consisting of ESP, active steering, active chassis and drive train will be created to improve driving dynamics.

Further safety gains can be achieved through networking ESP with passive safety and driver assistance systems. Bosch is developing systems in this field as part of their Combined Active and Passive Safety (CAPS) concept. 

The challenges are to reduce the complexity of the networks on one hand, while on the other, increase the already high standard of reliability and availability of the technology. The solution to increasing the fitment of ESP technology lies in standardised basic software, including standard interfaces for systems to communicate with each other.

On this basis, vehicle manufacturers and their components suppliers can continue to work closely together, developing powerful and effective mechatronic solutions.