UN Sets ESC Policy for EU
The United Nannies Nations has decided that all new European trucks and "tourist coaches" must be fitted with electronic stability control (ESC) to reduce the carnage on European roadways. A press release from a meeting which took place in Geneva last week states ESC in these vehicles "could ultimately save over 500 deaths and 2500 serious injuries per year in the European Union." Under the agreement, which the EU plans to enforce, ESC will be required on heavy vehicles approved under Regulation 13 of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. Reg 13 (fitting number, by the way) is "a braking regulation widely accepted not only in Europe but also in many other parts of the world." The requirements for heavy vehicles will be phased in by 2010, with agreement on requirements for light vehicles expected in 2008 "by means of a global harmonised regulation on light vehicle control." Now let's all join hands and sing "Kum-bah-ya" as we relinquish control of our vehicles to those who want total control of our lives know what's best for us.
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UN? When in the hell did Europe start letting the UN dictate road and driving laws? Don't they have enough bureaucracy with the EU, national, and provincial/state governments? Scary.
Reality check for all of you: ESC was mandated for all US passenger cars by 2012 as per the NHTSA well over a year ago. Old news.
The high-end restaurant industry in New York would not appreciate a halt to the UN gravy train should that bunch of taxpayer-sponging freeloaders get the boot.
I am with those who think this is good public policy. ESC is particularly cost-effective for heavy vehicles. As has been pointed out elsewhere on this site, the slippery-slope argument is a rhetorical fallacy. We could talk about whether mandating ESC for smaller vehicles is good public policy. I would tend to say no, because Esc is not conducive to learning good driving skills. But this is just a personal opinion and is rather contrary to what safety scientists say. I would suggest that we should not talk about the U.N. in general terms, because that would go way beyond the scope of this website.