However, the UK still lags well behind Germany where two out of every three new cars are fitted with the system. The European average is 39 percent. The Bosch figures follow closely on the publication of the Cars 21 report, a new plan for the EU car industry promising safer, cleaner cars and a simpler set of rules for EU car makers. One of the report's goals is the compulsory fitment of new safety systems on cars including Electronic Stability Program (ESP) plus other active and passive safety technologies.

To help boost the installation rate Bosch has embarked on a proactive active safety training programme in the UK called ESPerience. The objective of the scheme is to train dealer sales staff in how active safety systems, such as ESP work and give them practical demonstrations of these technologies. So far the company has trained some 3,000 dealer sales staff including dealership representatives from various car manufacturers.

As one of the first signatories to the EU Road Safety Charter - a commitment to halve the current number of deaths on European roads from 50,000 to 25,000 by 2010 - Bosch has undertaken to raise the awareness and promote the benefits of ESP as part of its contribution to the Charter.

Note to editors:

The Bosch Group is a leading global manufacturer of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology. In fiscal 2004, some 242,000 employees generated sales of €40 billion. Set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering," the Bosch Group today comprises a manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service network of some 260 subsidiaries and more than 10,000 service centres in over 130 countries.

The special ownership structure of the Bosch Group guarantees its financial independence and entrepreneurial freedom. It makes it possible for the company to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future, as well as to do justice to its social responsibility in a manner reflective of the spirit and will of its founder. The charitable foundation, Robert Bosch Stiftung, holds 92 percent of the shares of Robert Bosch GmbH. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG.

Bosch media enquiries:

Chris Wakley / David Eden  

Automotive PR

Tel: 020 7494 8050       

Email: cwakley@automotivepr.com / deden@automotivepr.com

Bosch OE enquiries:

Beverley Daniels

Corporate Affairs Manager

Robert Bosch Limited

Tel: 01895 878155

Email: beverley.daniels@uk.bosch.com