What the heck is ESC? Electronic Stability Control (or ESC) is a crash avoidance system found on many recent vehicles. ESC will help you stay in control of your vehicle when you need to swerve or brake suddenly to avoid an obstacle. When your steering does not match the direction of your vehicle, ESC will automatically brake one or more wheels for short periods of time, reduce engine power, or both. ESC is "ON" whenever you start your vehicle, though some vehicles have a manual ESC Off switch for certain situations such as when you are stuck in snow.
Why Now? Transport Canada has been testing vehicles with ESC since 2004 and found that the improvement in vehicle stability due to ESC was impressive. Transport Canada has introduced the new Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126 that requires an ESC system on all passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, trucks and buses with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 4536 kg or less, and manufactured on or after September 1st, 2011.
For More information: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/tp-tp14651-vs200701-faq-742.htm
DriveBC Goes Mobile
Drivers can receive live updates on road conditions via their mobile phones. The popular DriveBC.ca website, which the province says receives over 2.9 million visits a month, can now be accessed at www.drivebc.ca/mobile for up-to-the-minute weather and road condition updates. The site offers real-time cameras, maps, information about current events, weather forecasts and other information of use to drivers. “Drivers now have better access to a quality service that was shaped by feedback from DriveBC users. It is now possible to access reliable information 24 hours a day in a user-friendly application,” said Transport Minister Blair Lekstrom. “This is an invaluable tool for anyone planning a trip and helps drivers avoid unnecessary delays or adverse road conditions. Ultimately that makes our highways safer to drive.”