Euro NCAP Slams UK Safety Record

By Ben Whitworth

Motor Industry

11 May 2007 10:50

Euro NCAP has panned UK car manufacturers after a dismal performance in its Electronic Stability Control survey.

Figures released today by the automotive safety organisation put the cars sold in the UK near the bottom of the table when it comes to fitting ESC as standard. While Denmark, Sweden and Germany topped the list, the UK ranked 20th out of the 25 countries surveyed, only just beating Ireland, Greece, Malta and the Netherlands.

The findings singled out Chevrolet, Daihatsu, Kia, Lotus, Mitsubishi, Proton and Suzuki for not offering ESC as standard across their model line-ups. According to the RAC, only 55% of new cars sold it the UK fit ESC as standard, 22% offer it as an option and on 23% of cars it is not available at all.

In Denmark 76% of all news cars come with ESC as standard. And even Latvia and Lithuania, trounce the UK with a 65% new car figure.

The RAC estimates that if 90% of cars were fitted with ESC it would save 400 lives and prevent 3000 serious injuries each year on our roads. The Euro NCAP survey also showed a yawning disparity between among car manufacturers which sell some models with ESC as standard in some countries but having it as an option, or not available at all, in other countries.

Suzuki’s Swift, for example, has ESC fitted on all variants sold in Sweden but ESC is not available on any Swift models sold in Finland, Latvia and Spain. The results underline Euro NCAP’s ‘Choose ESC Campaign’ to make ESC a standard safety feature on all cars sold today.

'Several studies have now shown that cars fitted with ESC are less likely to be involved in accidents than those which are not,' it claimed, estimating that standard ESC fitment could cut fatalities by one in five.

Reckon UK buyers are getting short-changed when it comes to standard safety equipment? Would you buy a new car that didn't come with some form of electronic stability control. Would it affect your choice when buying a second-hand vehicle? Let us know your thoughts by clicking on the ‘Add Comment’ button.

By Ben Whitworth