The active safety system detects the onset of skidding in a vehicle and works to counter it without any action by the driver. Recently published studies prove that car driver whose vehicle are fitted cause accidents much more rarely. If every new car were to be fitted with ESP, the number of “single vehicle accidents” resulting in serious injury could be reduced by up to 50%.

“The European Union has set itself the target of halving the number of road deaths between 2001 and 2010,” said Herbert Hemming, executive vice president sales of the chassis systems control division. “ESP can make a significant contribution to achieving this ambitious goal.”

In Germany some 70% of all new cars registered last year were fitted with ESP. In Europe as a whole 40% of all vehicles were fitted with this technology during the same period. The UK stills lags behind Europe with only 34% of new cars in 2005 fitted with ESP.

The ESP system is largely standard equipment in the more expensive luxury car sector and good progress is being made with medium class vehicles. However, the small car sector – some would say the most crucial from a safety standpoint – is still low across Europe.

Bosch media enquiries:
Chris Wakley and David Eden
Automotive PR
Tel: 020 7494 8050
Email: cwakley@automotivepr.com / deden@automotivepr.com

Bosch OE enquiries:
Beverley Daniels
Communications Manager
Robert Bosch Limited
Tel: 01895 878155
Email: beverley.daniels@uk.bosch.com

About Bosch
The Bosch Group is the world’s largest provider of automotive technology to all leading vehicle and component manufacturers.

In 2005, the company generated automotive sales of €26 billion and employs 158,000 people in this sector.  The key business areas include: fuel injection technology (diesel & petrol); systems for active and passive vehicle safety (brakes, ABS, traction control, ESP, control units for restraint systems); electrical motors, rotating electrics and products for car multimedia.