(l-r) Miquel Nadal, Director of the RACC Foundation, Sébastien Loeb, David Ward, Director General of the FIA Foundation
Marko Asmer demonstrates the benefits of ESC at an event in Tartu, Estonia
World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb and BMW Sauber F1 Team driver Marko Asmer have demonstrated the safety gains of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) at events in Spain and Estonia.
During the Catalunya Rally in Salua, Spain on 2 October Sébastien Loeb carried out emergency manoeuvres showing how the ESC anti-skid technology helps drivers keep control of their vehicles. The event was organised by the ChooseESC campaign, which is chaired by the FIA Foundation and was hosted along with Citroen and the Catalan Automobile Club RACC.
FIA Foundation Director General David Ward addressed the participants at a press conference where he stressed that there is still some way to go before all cars sold are equipped with ESC.
"It is important that the consumers know ESC might save their life one day which is why they should not buy a car without it," Mr Ward said. 4,000 road traffic deaths and 100,000 injuries could be avoided each year if all cars in Europe were equipped with ESC.
Following the event, on 3 October in Tartu, Estonia F1 driver Marko Asmer showed road safety and automotive experts and journalists the benefits of ESC in action.
The event included an ESC demonstration on a test track where the participants had the chance to drive in the cars provided by the organisers. It also included an ESC seminar with discussions on technical and political topics. Representatives from the FIA Foundation, the European Commission, the Estonian Vehicle Registration Centre, Estonian Traffic Insurance Fund, and Tallinn Technical University gave presentations on the key challenges for ESC deployment.
Mr. Asmer gave his support to the Estonian campaign launch which was funded by the FIA Foundation, eSafetyAware and the European Commission and he joins the list of professional drivers who support the ESC campaign.