ESP will be mandatory for new passenger cars and commercial vehicles from November 2011 and for all new vehicles from November 2014.

The European Parliament agreed to the measure along with others which intend to increase road safety and reduce fuel consumption.

“ESP can prevent up to 80 percent of all skid-related accidents,” says Dr. Werner Struth, president of the Chassis Systems Control division at Bosch.

“After the seat belt, the system is therefore the most important safety technology in the car.”

In the first six months of 2008, 56% of all newly registered passenger cars in the UK featured ESP - an increase of over 30% in three years.