ESC uses anti-lock braking and traction control to reduce the danger of skidding. The system uses sensors to detect loss of control and automatically applies the brake to the relevant wheel to keep your vehicle on the intended path.
ESC helps you avoid crashing by:
correcting impending oversteering or understeering
stabilising your car during sudden evasive manoeuvres
enhancing handling on gravel patches, such as road shoulders
improving traction on slippery or icy roads.
An Australasian study by Monash University on the effectiveness of ESC systems showed they reduced the risk of single vehicle crashes in which the driver is injured by:
32 percent overall
27 percent for cars
68 percent for four-wheel-drives.
While all ESC systems have similar hardware, they differ in how they are programmed to respond to the loss of control. Other factors can affect the effectiveness of all ESC systems. For example worn tyres or inappropriate tyres (such as ordinary road tyres on snow or ice) reduce control.
Different names for ESC systems:
Active Stability Control (ASC) - Mitsubishi
AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control (RSC)
Controllo Stabilita (CST)
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) - Ford, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover
Dynamic Stability and Traction Control (DSTC) - Volvo
