Coroner pleads for ESC on all cars in Australia

Victoria's chief coroner Graeme Johnstone has called on all car manufacturers and importers in Australia to fit electronic stability control (ESC) as standard, stating it is “technology we must have”. Johnstone said between 50 and 100 lives could be saved every year in Victoria alone if all vehicles were fitted with ESC.

“It was invented back in 1995 – think about it, that would mean 1600 to 1200 lives, 600 to 1200 families, countless families involved in incidents that would have never happened,” he said.

Speaking at the Smart Demo technology conference in Melbourne mid August, Mr Johnstone revealed his frustration that only 25% of new cars sold in Australia feature the life-saving technology.

Mr Johnstone first called for manufacturers to fit their cars with ESC as standard when he delivered his findings into a 2004 crash near Campbell’s Creek on the Midland Highway. Five occupants of an HSV ClubSport died when its 17-year-old learner driver lost control and collided with an oncoming truck. “The evidence I got was that ESC probably would have corrected the car, corrected the oversteer and possibly saved the five lives,” he said.

Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) chairman Lauchlan McIntosh said there was now a compelling body of evidence showing the substantial benefits of ESC. “It’s time for a national cooperative partnership of governments, manufacturers and consumers to agree urgently a timetable and a methodology for an accelerated uptake across Australia’s entire car and truck vehicle fleet,” Mr McIntosh said. “A program similar to the ‘Choose ESC’ campaign promoted by the European Commission should be implemented by the Federal and State Governments now”.