ALD calls for fleets to make ESC mandatory

ESC are three letters that could save your life and now ALD Automotive is calling on all businesses to have electronic stability control as a mandatory feature on company cars.

The call from one of the UK's largest contract hire and leasing companies with more than 46,000 vehicles on its fleet, coincided with the launch of the ChooseESC! campaign 8 May. Not only will the risk of death or serious injury to company car drivers and other road users be reduced if vehicles are equipped with ESC, but fleets will save on operating costs as 'bent metal' costs will by cut as a result of fewer crashes also leading to insurance premium savings.

ALD Automotive has issued an ESC advice bulletin to all customers - it is available by emailing ukmarketing@aldautomotive.com. Last year 46% of company cars supplied by ALD Automotive had ESC fitted. Almost all the vehicles were equipped with ESC as standard with less than 2% of customers requesting the technology to be added. Just over half of the vehicles were supplied without ESC as it was either unavailable as a vehicle option or not specified by customers. Looking forward ALD Automotive expects to supply more company cars with ESC as 55% of vehicles now have the technology fitted, according to its database and a further 24% of cars could be supplied with ESC following a request for fitment; 21% of vehicles, however, do not have ESC available as an option.

ALD Automotive marketing director David Yates said: 'We would, wherever possible, encourage companies to have ESC as a mandatory feature within their car fleet policies, particularly as more manufacturers are offering the technology either as standard or an option. We believe that the mandatory fitting of ESC can significantly assist fleets with their ongoing duty of care responsibilities. 'While many company cars do have ESC or an equivalent fitted as standard, on other models the technology remains either an optional extra or is not available. All the evidence points to ESC having the ability to significantly reduce vehicle crashes. 'As well as recommending its mandatory fitment we are also calling on fleet operators to ensure that all drivers are aware of its life-saving and crash avoidance potential.'