stability control....
Is a standard fitment on my 4 year old rear wheel drive sports car - I grant it may be known to the public at large by another name - ie my feet and my hands and my co-ordination of same.
Given the percentage of the year that Northern European roads are less than optimally grippy, it astounds me that there remains no obligation to demonstrate even basic understanding of what needs to be done if a drivers vehicle loses grip for any reason.
I've driven karts in the rain on slicks (fun if you are not trying to acheive anything), motorcycles with snow on the roads (damn good fun), motorcycles on diesel (always garanteed to raise your pulse rate) courtesy of leaky Birmingham City Council vehicles, and our wee sportscar in all sorts of filthy conditions. The only time I've been worried ? Looking in the rear view mirror and observing a front wheel drive saloon (allegedly safer) spinning gracefully toward my rear bumper the driver having lost it on the same icy junction I took at appropriate speed and had no trouble with.
The only times I have ever been involved in an accident ? Near fatal encounter with a blind taxi driver turning right despite my being so close I could almost whisper in his ear that looking right might be a good idea, and two close encounters with uber saloon/hatchback drivers who trusted their respective traction/stability aids would allow them to do the impossible, one of whom struck the bus I was a passenger on - his alcohol content would have allowed him ot burn with a steady blue flame, and another bright spark who drove their hot hatchback directly into the rear of my wifes VW Beetle having failed to recognise that looking forward is more important than doing her make up (literally). Not one of these classically recognised accidents (2xnot looking where they were going, 1xdrunk darwin candidate) would have been prevented by ESC, ABS or traction control.
How about a compulsory half hour of basic skid pad training for all ? Or reduced insurance for those of us that can demonstrate the required level of CLUE....?