When it comes to added extras in vehicles, do your drivers choose a stereo or safety?

According to a Bosch, the inventor of many of the safety systems that keep employees safe on the road, louder music wins on most occasions.

Therefore, fleet operators need to ensure they pressure manufacturers to fit certain systems as standard or pay to have them installed.

Currently the focus is on ESC or ESP, which stands for Electronic Stability Control or Programme, heralded as the biggest safety invention on vehicles since the seatbelt.

It combines a range of electronic systems including anti-lock brakes to keep the vehicle from skidding out of control during emergency manoeuvres.

A study investigating the effectiveness of ESP on British roads by the Department for Transport published in June 2007 concluded that vehicles equipped with Electronic stability control are 25% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without it.

That equates to 380 fatal accidents and the reduction of 7,800 injuries a year.

When selecting a fleet vehicle, corporate fleet decision makers cite vehicle reliability (94%), safety (89%) and duty of care (87%) to be their three most important criteria, according to Bosch research.

But the requirement for vehicles to be fitted with certain safety equipment as part of a road safety plan, have been introduced by less than half.