From 1 November 2011, all new car and light commercial vehicle models receiving type approval in the European Union had to be equipped with ESP (electronic stability programme) anti-skid system.
The corresponding EU regulation applies to all vehicles with type approvals issued after this date and ESP will subsequently become compulsory in all new EU vehicles from 31 October 2014, according to Bosch which was the first supplier to start series production back in 1995.
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Making ESP compulsory is part of a comprehensive European Commission strategy to improve road safety.
Equipping all new vehicle models with ESP as standard in Europe also paves the way for increased use of driver assistance systems based on intelligent networking between ESP and sensors that monitor vehicle surroundings, such as radars or cameras, according to Bosch.
“ESP can prevent up to 80% of all skidding accidents. It is the most important vehicle safety system after the seat belt”, claimed Werner Struth, president of the chassis systems control division.
By 2010, 41% of all cars and light commercial vehicles weighing less than six tonnes made worldwide were equipped with the system. About 63% of cars and commercial vehicles manufactured in Europe had ESP.
Bosch has since delivered over 50m systems worldwide and expects every second new car worldwide will have ESP by 2013.
