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What is Electronic Stability Control? Electronic Stability Control (or ESC) is a new crash avoidance system found on many vehicles. Unlike air bags, which only help you during a collision, ESC will help you to avoid loss of control that could lead to a collision. ESC is designed to help you stay in control of your vehicle during an emergency manoeuvre, such as when you need to swerve or brake suddenly to avoid an obstacle. ESC monitors your steering versus the direction of the vehicle. When they do not match, ESC will automatically actuate the brakes at one or more wheels for short periods of time, reduce engine power, or both. If at all possible, ESC will bring the vehicle back under your control. ESC is automatically "ON" whenever you start your vehicle. Some vehicles have an ESC Off switch; this switch is needed to disable ESC during certain situations such as when you are stuck in snow. If your vehicle has an ESC Off switch, refer to the vehicle user's manual for more information. Unless you manually shut ESC Off, it will remain active until you turn the engine off. Why should I have ESC on my vehicle? Recent studies, including work by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, estimate that ESC would reduce the number of fatal or serious crashes by some 43% in the United States. Studies in Europe and Japan have observed reductions of 20% to 40% in the number of fatal crashes. Preliminary analyses of Canadian crash data by Transport Canada indicate that ESC could prevent approximately 30% of all crashes involving loss of control. In 2005, single vehicle crashes resulted in the death of 850 vehicle occupants in Canada, as well as causing serious injuries to 4802 persons. ESC can prevent many types of crashes, but it is especially effective in preventing single vehicle crashes that result from a loss of control. Transport Canada estimates that there would have been at least 255 fewer deaths and 1440 fewer people seriously injured on our roads if all passenger vehicles had been fitted with ESC that year. Will ESC affect my fuel consumption? Vehicle mass is one of the many factors that can affect vehicle fuel consumption. The individual components of an ESC system will add about 4 kg to the mass of a vehicle and we expect that fuel consumption will increase by about 0.1%, i.e. one additional litre of fuel for each 10,000 km of travel if one assumes an average fuel consumption of 10 L/100 km. Because ESC includes several components already present in Anti Lock Braking Systems (ABS), adding ESC to an ABS-equipped vehicle will only result in an increase of 1 kg to its mass, or about one additional litre of fuel for each 40,000 km of travel. How much does ESC cost? ESC is sometimes sold as an optional feature on newly built vehicles and costs can vary widely depending on what else comes with it in the options package. In 2007, the cost of ESC varied from approximately $450, when ESC was priced as a single item, to several thousands of dollars, when it was combined with luxury items such as a plush interior, a high-end sound system and high-intensity discharge headlights. Are there any other names for ESC? ESC is the generic name, but vehicle manufacturers use many different trade names for their respective proprietary systems, such as ESP®, Advance Trac® and Stabilitrak®. On which vehicles is ESC available? You can find many lists of vehicles fitted with ESC on the web. But, many of these lists refer to vehicles sold only in the United States. Vehicles with the same model names sold in Canada may or may not be fitted with ESC. You should contact the Canadian manufacturer, distributor or dealer, to confirm whether the vehicle has ESC in Canada. Are there issues or challenges with ESC systems? As is the case with many safety features, they can lead to a false sense of safety among some drivers. This technology does not and cannot change the laws of physics. Even if your vehicle is equipped with ESC, you must continue to drive prudently. If you drive too fast for the specific set of road conditions, you can still lose control even with ESC. Good tire and brake maintenance are equally important for safety. The best ESC system can do little to assist you if your tires are worn-out, under-inflated or overloaded. Similarly, suitable tires are required when driving in winter conditions. What is Transport Canada doing in this area? Transport Canada has been evaluating the performance of ESC since 2004 by testing various vehicles with proprietary variants of ESC systems. As of November 2007, we have tested 18 vehicles under two scenarios: a sudden lane change on a straight highway and a sudden increase in steering on a highway exit ramp. We have also performed a limited number of tests on snow. The results, so far, are very impressive; the various ESC systems that we tested provided a clear improvement in the stability of vehicles in emergency avoidance manoeuvres. Our evaluation is continuing and additional vehicles will be tested under various scenarios and road surface conditions. Transport Canada conducted a survey in February 2006 to determine the level of awareness and understanding of ESC in Canada. Awareness of ESC was low. Sixty percent of the people surveyed had not heard of ESC before, and less than 5% had vehicles with ESC. Some people even believed that their vehicle was fitted with ESC, when it was not. Transport Canada presented these results at the ChooseESC! campaign in May 2007. Transport Canada recognizes the need to educate Canadians and raise awareness about the benefits of ESC. Besides publishing this ESC web page, Transport Canada officials have been presenting our ESC research and findings to key stakeholders (including provincial and territorial governments, safety organizations, manufacturers, consumer-focused media and publishers, etc.). Several meetings have been held with these groups to discuss strategies for promoting ESC among not only individual consumers but also fleet purchasers, institutional entities, and trucking industry firms. Promotional materials for ESC are being developed and liaisons have been established with international organizations in an effort to raise public awareness and demand for ESC. The department is also studying Canadian crash data to determine the impact that ESC could have on the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. Preliminary analyses of data for calendar years 2000 to 2005 indicate that ESC could have prevented approximately 30% of the crashes that involved loss of control, if all vehicles in Canada had been equipped with ESC. What is Transport Canada's position on ESC? Our vision is to have the safest roads in the world. With that goal in mind, we are exploring various alternatives, including international best practices, to accelerate the availability of ESC on new passenger vehicles sold in Canada. Transport Canada is encouraging all manufacturers to provide ESC as a standard safety feature on all vehicles. The department is also examining the need to require ESC on all new light vehicles sold in Canada. Based on the preliminary results from our statistical studies and research program, Transport Canada will propose a new motor vehicle regulation via publication in Canada Gazette Part I in the coming months; this regulation will require that ESC be provided as mandatory equipment on all light duty vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 2011 with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating less than 4536 kg. We will separately continue to investigate the benefits of an ESC regulation for heavy duty vehicles (trucks, buses, etc.). We are also involved in discussions with light-duty vehicle manufacturers to ensure that ESC is offered voluntarily on the same vehicles in Canada as in the United States. Canada is also participating in the development of a global technical regulation for ESC under the auspices of the United Nations World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29). If the discussions are successful, an ESC global technical regulation could be created for ESC. This new standard would then form the basis for an alternate or revised regulation in Canada. Finally, the department encourages all Canadians to ask for ESC when they shop for their new vehicle. Where can I get more information on ESC? If your vehicle has ESC, or if ESC is available as optional equipment, its user manual should contain information on its function and use. You can find additional information on the Internet, either on the vehicle manufacturer's web site or on the following ESC system supplier web pages: The following sites also offer information on ESC:
If I have a concern with my ESC system, whom should I contact? Contact your dealer first and have the ESC system checked. If you believe that your vehicle has a safety defect, contact: TP 14651
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