What’s Wrong With ESC?

By Submitted Article

By Glen Nicholson

I believe in the life-saving automotive technology called Electronic Stability Control (“ESC”).  Transport Canada conducted a survey and found that most ESC users feel there are no disadvantages to ESC.  However, most non-ESC users perceive that ESC may have some drawbacks.

Many people think they don’t need ESC.  If you are healthy and alert, you can react to an emergency in 3/4 of a second.  In contrast, ESC detects and corrects skids in just 1/25th of a second by reducing engine power and applying one brake to help you steer, even if your foot is still on the gas.  To do what ESC does, you would need four feet, four brake pedals, and superhuman reactions.

Canoeists know it is best to correct your direction early, before the bow swings too far left or right.  ESC acts early and fast.  Like a good canoe paddler, ESC helps keep you pointed where you want to go. 

Some people fear a computer “controlling” their vehicle.  Perhaps they don’t realize that computers already control dozens of vehicle functions. 

The most thoughtful criticism of ESC comes from my Uncle Cliff, a careful guy who has driven about 60 accident-free years.  He says, “...people will just speed more [with ESC].”  He is referring to the “offset hypothesis,” a theory that risk-takers will always push their limits, negating the advantages of safety innovations.  Indeed, some research suggests that some people drive more aggressively if they have anti-lock brakes or airbags.  Uncle Cliff suggests that ESC “...might actually work best if drivers don’t know it is there.”

In my public presentations on ESC, the offset hypothesis is usually my first audience question.  I acknowledge that some risk-takers will always push their limits; however most people drive sensibly.  I sometimes (sarcastically) propose we might make people safer by taking away their seat belts, bumpers, hydraulic brakes, and collapsible steering columns.  Perhaps we should resurrect Model T Fords, let half the air out of the tires, and install pointy sticks in the dashboard to make drivers slow down.

Enlightened ESC users offer a better answer.  I ask audiences to tell me how ESC affects their real-world driving.  They report that a light on the dash warns them whenever ESC is active; that is, when they are skidding.  When the light goes on, the system tells them condition are slippery, and they slow down!

Some people worry that ESC enables risk-takers to drive faster around corners.  To the contrary, ESC does not change cornering limits.  Good tires can improve traction, whereas ESC detects loss of traction and slows the vehicle down by braking and/or reducing power. 

Critics argue that ESC will make drivers too confident, relaxed, or reliant on technology.  ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics.  The same can be said of other automotive features.  Modern cars coddle us in comfortable cocoons of velour, leather, and stereo sound so that we sometimes forget that our lives are riding on four tiny contact patches where the rubber meets the road. 

Should we should drive primitive cars so we remain scared and alert?  Or should we embrace ESC as an effective driving aid?  Real world studies show that ESC significantly reduces crashes.  For example, driver-related crashes declined by 42% in Mercedes cars after installation of ESC.

Auto buffs complain that ESC takes the fun out of driving, making it almost impossible to oversteer by breaking the back end loose.  This should be welcome news to parents.

A common red herring is the moral argument that we should focus on driver behaviour instead of ESC technology.  However, the very first driver behaviour is choosing and equipping a safe vehicle.  You should not drive without proper tires, lights, and seat belts.  Some day, we will wonder how we survived without ESC.

Even the best drivers make occasional errors.  No one can predict when a moose or another vehicle may force an evasive manoeuvre.  ESC gives everyone (good drivers, bad drivers,  teenagers, elders, and even drunks) a second chance by helping them keep their vehicles under control.

The proven advantages of ESC outweigh any perceived downside.  The amazing benefits of ESC will be discussed in the next article.  For ESC criticisms and videos showing ESC in action, look up “Electronic Stability Control” in Wikipedia at this link: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Stability_Control

(Next week , Glen explores "Canada's Safety Vision")

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