Despite the fact that this system is reckoned to save 4,000 lives and 100,000 serious injuries a year across Europe, some manufacturers seemsteadfastly averse to fitting it until compelled to.

All LCVs made by Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Iveco and Volkswagen have ESC as standard. It comes as standard on rear wheel drive versions of the Vauxhall Movano, Renault Master and Nissan NV400 but, for all other vans, it remains a paid-for option or, worse still, not available.

It’s a situation which has caused much consternation among safety cam-paigners. Roadsafe, for example, has urged all manufacturers to fit ESC as standard.

Roadsafe director Adrian Walsh said: “Businesses are losing £2.7 billion each year through accidents, so there are huge benefits in managing this risk. Most van fleet operators don’t believe safety is a problem and we have to get this message across that it is.

"One way of stopping accidents is by fitting ESC and this should be fitted as standard on all vans. It saves lives and costs for the business.”

Walsh pointed out that it was not just death and injury that would be reduced if all vans had ESC.

Most crashes involve damage to vehicles and if this could be limited, once again money could be saved.

He said: “Any van fleet operator with an interest in duty of care would have ESC fitted even if it cost extra, but we need it as standard so that this decision would be taken out of the buyer’s hands. It is a fantastic innovation.”

Walsh said research had shown that for every hundred decisions an average driver makes, five are the wrong ones.

While ESC won’t stop a crash if a driver loses total control, it will correct most of the wrong decisions a driver makes.

And when another driver makes a mistake, ESC can also help by allowing the innocent vehicle to swerve and avoid a collision.

Telematics systems are increasingly being integrated with hi-tech units to improve van safety.

For example, CMS Supatrak has just launched Ecotyre, a new product to continually monitor a vehicle’s tyre pressure.

With 5% of vehicles involved in crashes having tyre problems, either under-inflated or poorly maintained, Ecotyre has the potential to increase the safety of vehicles.

In addition, tyres are the most significant contributor to vehicle maintenance costs, which again demonstrates the benefits that such a system offers.

Sensors are fitted to the vehicle’s tyres, measuring their pressure. Drivers can view the live data using an in-vehicle display unit, as well as fleet managers being able to access the data through a reporting suite.