Canada launches national ESC campaign

The Canadian automobile club CAA and eSafetyAware partner Transport Canada hosted the launch of the Canadian campaign with a live demonstration event in Toronto, Canada 30 October 2008. 

Former Major-General Lewis MacKenzie who is also a former race driver mentioned in his opening speech how the society would react differently if a similar high number of persons were killed under other circumstances than in the traffic which makes it even more surprising that not more is done to get a life saving technology like ESC into all vehicles.

Tim Shearman the president of CAA said: “With 48 per cent of serious road crashes in Canada resulting from loss of control, ESC is the most profound improvement to motor vehicle safety since the seatbelt”. "We're hoping that our ESC campaign will boost awareness and save lives."

According to Transport Canada projections, ESC would prevent approximately 30 per cent of the injuries and fatalities that result from collisions involving loss of control on Canadian roads. As a result, Transport Canada is currently looking at regulations to make ESC standard equipment on all light vehicles by 2011.

"Transport Canada encourages Canadians to make ESC a 'must have' on their checklist of features when shopping for a vehicle. We see ESC as an indispensable contributor towards our national road safety plan: Road Safety Vision 2010" said Kash Ram, Director General, Road Safety and Motor Vehicle Regulation Directorate, Transport Canada.

The FIA Foundation provides financial support to the Canadian campaign and Jacob Bangsgaard, Director of International Affairs, FIA Foundation mentioned in his speech how important this campaign is to the consolidation of an international effort of bringing ESC into all cars in the future. “This is not a European or Canadian problem but should be a global concern.” he said

 
The ESC demonstration provided the media and numerous stakeholders with an opportunity to experience ESC first-hand. eSafetyAware partner Toyota provided cars to the demonstration event.

"I was delighted to have an opportunity to work with CAA on this event," says MacKenzie. "We can make Canadian roads safer with ESC, so I feel it's my duty to promote this life-saving technology."

For more information about the Canadian ESC campaign please go to:

The campaign's video can be found here.

A video explaining the benefits of ESC and providing impressions from the campaign launch can be found here.

Links:

• Transport Canada - http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp/tp14651/vs200701/menu.htm
• Canadian Automobile Association - http://www.caa.ca/esc/home-e.htm
• Canada Safety Council: http://www.safety-council.org/news/campaigns/nsdw-08.html
• Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals - http://www.carsp.ca/index.php?0=documents&1=402
• BC Automobile Association - http://www.bcaa.com/wps/portal/newsroom/drivers_issues?rdePathInfo=xchg/bcaa-com/hs.xsl/7031.htm
• Insurance Corporation of BC - http://www.icbc.com/buy_car/buycar_elec_stab_control.asp
• Wildlife Collision Prevention Program - http://www.wildlifecollisions.ca/hints.htm
• BC Safety Council - http://www.safetycouncil.bc.ca/newsletter/2008/summer/safety_firstsummer.htm
• Northwest Territories Government - http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/ElectronicStabilityControl.aspx

David Munroe, Chairman, and Tim Shearman, President from CAA, took the opportunity to visit the ChooseESC stand at the FIA Foundation annual meetings in Paris (5 & 6 November 2008) to learn more about the campaign in Europe.