ESP is already mandatory on all new vehicles sold in the EU

Throughout automotive history, the work of innovation in the field of safety has always been a priority. That is why, over all these years, constant advances have been incorporated that have significantly improved the safety level of the average vehicle.

One of the most important systems in the field of active safety is the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP). Launched on the market in 1995 together with Bosch and Mercedes-Benz, from November of this year its introduction has become mandatory for all passenger cars sold in the European Union.

Thanks to legislation approved by the European Union in June 2009, from November 2014 all vehicles already incorporate it as standard, which will bring a great benefit to the active safety of users. Until November, approximately 84% of the vehicles sold in Europe already incorporated ESP as standard, a very high figure but insufficient for the EU. Thanks to this electronic system, it is estimated that around 190,000 accidents have been avoided in Europe, which is equivalent to almost 6,000 deaths.

This new law applies to all passenger vehicles, including light commercial vehicles whose weight does not exceed 3.5 tonnes. Reviewing the technical basis of this system, we recall that ESP is an autonomous system that, through the use of various sensors distributed throughout the car, compares in real time the actual trajectory of the vehicle with the trajectory demanded by the driver (using yaw and acceleration sensors).

When the two trajectories stop being the same, either due to understeer (the vehicle tends to continue straight in a bend) or oversteer (the vehicle tends to turn more than intended due to the sliding of the rear axle), the system acts to return the vehicle to the intended trajectory.

This system can be described as a logical evolution of the ABS and ASR systems. The ABS is the anti-lock braking system, which prevents the wheels from locking during hard braking or on slippery surfaces, while maintaining the vehicle’s steerability. The ASR, electronic traction control, is responsible for braking the driven wheels should they slip due to excess power or the appearance of a more slippery surface.

Source | Bosch, European Union