The industry has welcomed the announcement by crash-test organistaion EuroNCAP that no car can achieve a five-star safety rating unless it has ESC.

EuroNCAP has released of details about the scoring behind the organisation’s new car safety rating.

Vehicles tested from early 2009 will undergo a much tougher and more comprehensive assessment.

It also confirmed that if a car does not have ESC, it cannot achieve the highest five star rating.

Campaigners have welcomed the announcement.

RoadSafe, which manages ‘Driving for Better Business’ programme, has been at the UK forefront of the Europe-wide ‘Choose ESC!’ campaign.

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh said: “ESC says lives.

"Therefore, the changes to the Euro NCAP crash test programme should encourage more motor manufacturers to fit the technology as standard to their models.

“With businesses responsible for buying the majority of new cars in the UK, I would encourage all fleet decision-makers to look for the new five-star symbol when it is launched in February next year – until then choose a car with five stars and EESC

“When staff are involved in road crashes the impact on business costs and company productivity is enormous.

"Investment in safety therefore offers huge cost-savings, crucial with the UK and global economies on the brink of recession with 2009 forecasted to be an extremely tough year.

“Investment in safety starts with employees driving ‘safe’ cars and there is no doubt that models equipped with ESC are safer than those without.

"It therefore makes sense for companies to base their fleet choice lists around cars that are equipped with ESC.”

Currently just over 50% of the new cars on sale in the UK are equipped with ESC as standard.

Mr Walsh added: “If fleets focus on only operating cars with ESC as standard they are undoubtedly taking action to help their staff avoid crashes.

"In addition, because the overwhelming majority of new cars are bought with corporate cash, when company cars are defleeted the proliferation of ESC-equipped cars in the used car market will rise.

"In turn this means that many more secondhand cars buyers will benefit from the technology so potentially helping to further reduce death and injury on the UK’s roads.”