Safety organisation EuroNCAP has begun testing stability control systems on cars.
The initial 40 cars tested all passed the test, although the Subaru Impreza and Alfa Romeo Mito were criticised.
The Impreza drew criticism because it thought the system could be knocked off accidentally without the driver realising.
EuroNCAP also noted that when the Alfa Romeo Mito’s three-mode steering system – DNA – was set to Dynamic mode, the car failed the test.
Robot-driven vehicles were subjected to a double lane change at 50mph to determine the effectiveness of the ESC system.
UK based research concluded that vehicles featuring ESC were 25 per cent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash - the equivalent of approximately 380 fatalities per year.
