Without the extra-sensory perception of ABS, safety is only an illusion
Written by Writer on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
COMMENTARY
Without the extra-sensory perception of ABS, safety is only an illusion
Alfred Tha Hla
You probably glanced at the acronyms ABS and ESP from a sales brochure or technical spec sheet just before splurging on the all-important emotional purchase of a lifetime, a car.
On a separate note, isn’t it strange that denizens of the Nagoya of Siam tend to prioritise a car over a house?
Nevertheless without ABS and ESP, the illusion of safety and bragging rights are compromised a bit because you just opted for the cheapest model.
But do you actually know ABS and ESP? Can you say with the utmost confidence that you know how to operate it properly?
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) are, in fact, life-saving technologies that most of us take for granted; while quite a few drivers do not possess a good grasp of how to use it under emergency situations.
Thanks to gazillions spent on innovative PR and marketing, we normally associate Volvo, Mercedes-Benz or General Motors with safety technology; the truth of it all is that Bosch invented ABS, ESP and TCS.
Bosch doesn’t sell to end-users like you and me. The Bosch Group, a non-profit organisation, sells much more than spark plugs, based on revenues of about 2.037 trillion baht (46.3 billion euros) in fiscal 2007.
Most drivers have a tendency to misjudge the amount of pressure one needs to apply on the brake pedal in order to activate the ABS system.
Just imagine the brake pedal is your ex or your mother-in-law. That’s how hard you have to stomp on the brakes.
ABS, invented by Bosch in 1978, involves a wheel speed sensor that detects speed of rotation of the wheels, relays this data to the ABS control unit which computes degree of slip between wheels and road surface and detects whether wheels are about to lock.
If wheels are about to lock, ABS intervenes to stabilise or decrease brake pressure. Wheels don’t lock and your car remains steerable.
Simply put, it’s when you thrust your foot on the brake pedal and hear something like steel claws digging into your wheels. That’s ABS at work.
ESP, also invented by Bosch in 1986, integrates ABS and Traction Control System (TCS), the latter is an engine management interface to the ABS which reduces drive torque at each driven wheel - but also adds a yaw torque control that prevents skidding during sudden lane changes.
ESP comes in a variety of other acronyms such as Porsche Stability Management (PSM), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and a lot more for the sake of brand differentiation.
But what struck me was the fact that the installation rate for ABS in Thailand is only 52%. ESP and TCS is 2% each.
We sold over 631,000 vehicles last year, you do the math.
The US car market, with about 16 million unit sales, had an ABS installation rate of 94%, TCS 54% and ESP 47%. Europe was 88% for ABS followed by TCS 48% and ESP 46%. Why the value of life is higher as we cross either side of the ocean is beyond me.
According to the Thailand Road Safety Action Plan, road traffic accidents were the fifth largest cause of fatalities in Thailand in 2001, accounting for 3.4% of all deaths. HIV/AIDS was top at 23.9%.
In 2006, there were 12,693 fatal road accidents in Thailand.
Driving clinics for the media are a dime a dozen but they never fail to humble and refresh my memory on the importance of ABS and ESP.
Bosch took me for a ride in the top range Honda Civic - the only model with ESP made by Bosch in the Civic line-up - at 70kph and introduced a sudden lane change without ESP followed by a slight turn of the steering wheel, right and left; the result was ugly with the rear pushing out 90 degrees to the right, followed by a 180-degree turn to the left that would have obliterated surrounding traffic. Next, with ESP turned on, the sudden lane change was performed with control and composure.
What I am trying to get at is that ABS and ESP actually reduced fatalities in Thailand by 50% over the period of 2004 to 2008.
Maybe if the government gets its bearings back (and headquarters, too) it’d start to consider measures aimed at raising the fitment rates for ABS, TCS and ESP to more respectable levels in order to save lives.
Life is too precious for a locked wheel or a sudden lane change to make the difference.
Alfred Tha Hla covers the auto industry for Motoring Section, Bangkok Post.
Bangkok Post
Tuesday October 28, 2008
