No ESC? No Five-star rating!
September 11, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
The recent five-star safety rating awarded to Subaru’s latest generation Impreza was not the only good news to come from the Australian New Car Assessment Program.
ANCAP boss Lachlan McIntosh, also declared what many in the industry have been asking for, from 2008, all new cars seeking a five-star safety rating require ESC.
“From 2008 a condition of being five-star is that the car is fitted with ESC…” he said
Although still one step short of government intervention to mandate ESP on all new cars, the move by ANCAP will ensure that all vehicles with a five-star safety rating meet the highest degree of passive and active safety.
“The US is mandating ESC and we think it is only reasonable anyone who has a car that they want to be rated as a five-star crashworthy car then it should also have ESC as part of it.” Mr McIntosh said.
Other requirements for attaining a five-star safety rating include a pole test which requires the manufacturer to donate a car.
All other tests are at the expense of ANCAP which buys the cars from the manufacturer. Testing an average car can cost up to $200,000.
To find out the benefits of ESC, check out these videos.
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I agree with this approach – ESP is relatively cheap technology with a far greater potential payback than its cost. Ditto for curtain airbags.
I’m not convinced that a car should need to be built to be “Pedestrian Friendly” – my view is that pedestrians need to be aware of cars, not the other way around.
I think it’s criminal that some vehicles are still sold new without even a driver airbag and with not even an option. That would be Toyota 70 series – am I negative towards them – yes. They should be leading the field. The only other vehicle you can buy without driver airbag is the Mahindra.
The Corolla can’t be had with ESP either, and they are happy enough to sell them by the millions. Again, very poor form from Toyota, but their bank account is growing nicely, I’m sure. Can’t understand why buyers are not more selective – if no-one bought a Corolla until it had ESP, it wouldn’t take Toyota long to include it. I guess people just like bending over……