ESC mandatory for all new cars in Victoria/Australia by 2011

From 2011 all new cars in Australian's state Victoria will have to be equipped with the Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This move is a cornerstone of the Victorian Goverment's "arrive alive 2008-2017" road safety strategy which was unveiled on 6 February 2008 by Premier John Brumby.

With regard to the fact that there is no equivalent national requirement, Mr Brumby stated that he will write to all State and Territory Premiers and the Prime Minister, calling for a national mandate of this technology. Victoria, an internationally recognised leader in road safety, will also introduce ESC to the Government fleet over the next three years, thereby giving manufacturers an incentive to deploy ESC to all cars.

Beside the mandatory introduction of ESC, other strategies in "arrive alive 2008-2017" include:
- tougher drink driving laws
- more driver education,
- passenger restrictions for P-plate drivers
- mandatory instalment of head protection technology such as side-curtain airbags in all new cars built by 2012 (in the absence of an equivalent national requirement).

It is hoped that these measures will help to achieve the Goverment's road safety targets by the end of 2017:
- A 30% reduction in the road toll;
- A 30% reduction in the number of serious injuries; and
- Reducing the severity of serious injuries

The new strategy follows on from the success of Victoria’s first "arrive alive!" strategy which prevented around 580 deaths over the five years to 2007, compared to the road toll in 2001.

For more information:
Arrive Alive 2008-2017 website: http://www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au/