Britain’s in the slow lane when thinking of road safety

Fleet operators and private new car buyers are some of the slowest in Europe to adopt new eSafety technologies, a new survey has warned.

The research, which surveyed drivers and operators across 10 EU countrues found that Britain is among the slowest to adopt new safety technology. The research coincides with the launch of the eSafety challenge in Vienna.

The Driving for Better Business campaign, which is managed by RoadSafe, is urging employers to think about how their company vehicles are equipped when it comes to safety.

Although on a European level awareness levels of eSafety technologies has increased by around 10 percent since a similar survey two years ago, experts are concerned that the technologies aren’t more widely accepted.

eSafety refers to the host of devices and technology available in modern cars to reduce the risks of motoring. They include enhancements such as Electronic Stability Control, which is due to become compulsory on new cars from 2012.

Experts think that eSafety technologies have the capacity to save 4,000 lives and 10,000 injuries across Europe.

Here in the UK, the department for transport has said that vehicles equipped with ESC are 25 percent less likely to be involved in an accident than those that aren’t.

Adrian Walsh, director of RoadSafe said: “The study shows that familiarity with these life-saving technologies is on the rise but Europe’s car buyers are still not purchasing eSafety systems in sufficient numbers. Thousands more lives could be saved and injuries avoided if these systems were more widely used.”