Electronic Stability Control – or ESC – can help prevent a collision, and maybe even save your life. Now, for the first time in Canada, ESC can help save money on your auto insurance, too.

BCAA Insurance is introducing a five per cent discount on collision premiums for vehicles equipped with ESC.

ESC is a computer-controlled safety device that monitors the vehicle’s direction compared to the direction of the steering wheel. When the vehicle is in a skid, or if the tires spin, the ESC system will automatically apply braking to certain wheels and may cut engine power to help the driver regain control. The ESC system can actively prevent and reduce skidding conditions and wheel spin before the driver becomes aware of the problem.

Heather Prizeman, BCAA’s Auto Insurance Product Manager said that passive devices like seatbelts, airbags, and child seats help drivers and passengers survive a car crash, but the safest vehicle is the one that does not crash at all.

According to Canadian crash data from 2000 to 2005, vehicles equipped with ESC were involved in approximately 30 per cent fewer severe crashes due to loss of control. Based on this data, if all passenger vehicles were equipped with ESC, there could be 255 fewer deaths and 1,440 fewer people seriously injured on BC roads each year.

Currently, only five per cent of Canadians have vehicles equipped with ESC, but it is available as a relatively inexpensive option on many models. It appears under various trade names, such as StabiliTrak, Advance Trac, VSCfor vehicle-stability control) and ESP for electronic-stability program.