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Fleets criticised over anti-skid policy

Date: 16 August 2006

Every fleet manager should make anti-skid control devices - variously called Electronic Stability Programme or Dynamic Stability Control - a compulsory part of choice lists, according to safety expert Adrian Walsh.

The secretary of the Fleet Safety Association and director of Roadsafe told a recent safety conference the technology should be at the top of any fleets' spec list: "If you're not putting your employees in cars with ESP you're not taking your role as fleet manager seriously."

The stability control systems - which automatically brake individual wheels to correct an anticipated skid or spin - are credited with reducing fatal single car accidents in the USA by half and for major reductions in other countries too.

Walsh's call comes as Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre Thatcham is preparing to launch a new ratings system to promote the uptake of what it is trying to generically call Electronic Stability Control (ESC). Rather than testing the various carmakers' technologies it is designed to make consumers aware of which models have the technology as standard, optional or not available. The traffic light colour-coded system - officially launched next week - depicts a horizontal bar turning from red to green, left to right, for each car model with entry-level trim on the left and top spec on the right. The percentage of the bar that is green indicates ESC as standard, yellow indicates the technology as an option and red for not available (see illustration).

Thatcham hopes the new ratings system will encourage greater uptake of ESC, as its spokesman told Fleet Week: "It's a flag so when consumers buy a new car they can check what's available. The main point of the launch is to make people think about the options they can choose beyond the usual alloys and a nice stereo."



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