A HI-TECH safety device designed to prevent cars spinning out of control could be fitted to one-third of all new fleet cars sold by the end of this year.

The technology, commonly known as ESP or electronic stability program, marks its 10th anniversary this year.

Automotive components supplier Robert Bosch, which originally developed the system and launched production with Mercedes-Benz in 1995, is backing calls for fleets to choose cars for their choice lists which have ESP fitted as standard.

The importance of ESP was recently highlighted to fleet executives by Matthew Avery, crash laboratory manager at Thatcham, when he spoke at the Fleet News Double Jeopardy conference in May. He said: ‘ESP is absolutely a lifesaver. When choosing cars for your fleets, look for vehicles with five stars in the Euro NCAP crash tests, proper head protection and ESP.’

Robert Bosch has set itself a target of having a fitment rate of more than one third of all new passenger vehicle sales in the UK by the end of the year.

This year, the Mercedes-Benz Vito won the Fleet News Award for the Best Van 2.1-2.8-tonnes, mainly because it had ESP fitted as standard.