I had a near-life-threatening accident a few years ago in a car that did not have Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and how I wish it did as it could have helped prevent my car from losing control. ESC in cars is a safety system that helps prevent the car from skidding and helps the driver to regain control of their car. It also reduces the risk of a rollover (when the car overturns) – which has a higher rate of fatality than any other type of crashes.
A car can skid in a few circumstances such as a sudden change in direction to avoid an accident, when it rains and the road conditions are slippery, or when your tires are poorly maintained. In this day and age, four airbags, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and traction control just won’t cut it anymore. That is why more manufacturers are fitting their vehicles with Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS), which includes many advanced, semi-autonomous safety features that you can read more about here.
It’s worth mentioning that different manufacturers may use different names for ESC in cars – Perodua calls it Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Mazda calls it Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Honda calls it Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA). Nevertheless, it all refers to Electronic Stability Control.
How Does It Work?
ESC in cars works by monitoring the steering wheel activity and the speed sensors on each wheel. When it detects that the driver has lost steering control, the system kicks in and controls the braking of individual wheels and suppresses the engine output so you can regain control of the car. It also helps you to steer the car into the right direction. Nonetheless, the outcome of ESC in cars may vary depending on individual circumstances.
How to Tell If a Car Is Fitted with ESC?
You can tell if a car is fitted with ESC just by looking for the ESC “OFF” button usually located at the control panel on the right side of the steering wheel, below the driver’s side air-condition vent.
ESC “OFF” button
Here Are Popular Used Cars Under RM50k Equipped with ESC
Perodua Bezza listings on CARSOME
Perodua MYVI listings on CARSOME
Proton SAGA listings on CARSOME
A 2016 Proton PREVE CVT 1.6 on CARSOME
A 2018 Kia PICANTO EX 1.2 on CARSOME
A 2014 Kia CERATO YD 1.6 on CARSOME
A 2014 Volkswagen JETTA TSI 1.4 on CARSOME
Check out the cars available on CARSOME with ESC under RM50k here.
You Can’t Put a Price on Safety
As mentioned in the beginning, I had a near life-threatening accident as I was trying to avoid another accident, which involved four cars. One being a Perodua Viva that had lost control, and did not have ESC. However, I was lucky enough to regain control of my car. With that being said, how many road users can depend on luck when their car loses control? To put things into perspective – road accidents are amongst the main causes of death in Malaysia with an average of 4,769 lives lost each year. Therefore, having an extra safety feature like ESC in your car is worth it even if it’s going to cost a couple of thousands more.
Buy CARSOME Certified for Peace of Mind
Here at CARSOME, we believe in creating an end-to-end buying journey to eliminate the concerns common in a traditional used car buying experience. CARSOME Certified is the new standard of buying pre-owned cars backed up by our 175-point inspection together with our CARSOME Certified Refurbishment Process. By creating a trusted used car ecosystem, CARSOME Certified guarantees trust, transparency, and choice.
Check out our CARSOME Certified Cars here.
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