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ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) systems enable the stability of a car to be maintained during critical manoeuvres and to correct potential understeering or oversteering. As a result, ESP could help improve car safety by avoiding loss of vehicle control accidents as well as by reducing their severity or consequences. This paper describes an evaluation of the potential effectiveness of ESP if it was installed more widely. It is based on data from the European Accident Causation Survey (or “EACS”) which contains information about 1,674 accidents in 5 European countries. Analysis of the EACS data shows that in approximately 18% of all injury accidents and in 34% of fatal accidents, ESP would have a certain influence (either reducing the likelihood of an accident or avoiding the accident altogether). Where accident causation was identified as “loss of vehicle control”, ESP would have a certain benefit in 42% of cases with injury outcome and in 67% of the fatal crashes.

This study discusses the potential influence of non-driving tasks on the performance of drivers and on the increased risk of involvement in a traffic accident. It is based upon a review of the literature and results of two research projects carried out in France. As a complement to experiments on avoidance maneuvers in a simulated accident situation, subjects were asked to rate both their frequencies and subjective risk level for 18 actions involving secondary tasks such as using a phone when driving. Answers given by French subjects are compared to those given by Japanese subjects. It was clear that actions considered as risky are seldom declared and that secondary tasks are often considered as risky whenever they require hand or visual distraction. The accident sample contains several hundred personal injury car crashes, studied in-depth and on the scene from 1995 to 1999 by a team of accidentologists including a psychologist.

Development of crash avoidance systems and active safety systems must not be only based on experimental knowledge. The goal is to provide an efficient answer to still unsolved severe real-world car crashes which occur despite enhanced passive safety devices. This requires to know precisely the pre-crash conditions during about 3 to 10 seconds before impact. The paper describes the multidisciplinary systemic approach leading to the comprehensive methodology used in accident reconstruction in order to determine the best scenario, and to assess initial car speeds, paths and events in the different phases of the accident. This has already been carried out for about 400 car crashes with car occupant injuries (including 6% fatal and 10% severely injured). The necessity of collecting data on the spot of the crash scene is highlighted. Three well-trained investigators are involved.