Canada wages war on useless automotive acronyms

[Bartek Sikorski]

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Some automobile features and equipment have become so common all makers use the same generic terms and acronyms to describe them: ABS, EBD, AWD, RWD, LSD - the list goes on. So far electronic traction control systems - which have only become common in the last five or so years - have not been among those commonly-named features. They will soon, at least in Canada, thanks to an initiative by Transport Canada to create a common logo and branding scheme centered around the name ESC (Electronic Stability Control).

Each manufacturer has their own copyrighted and/or trademarked term: Mercedes has ESP, Mazda has DSC, GM has StabiliTrak, Honda has ESC, VSA and ESP - you get the idea. Canada’s stand against this automotive alphabet soup is aimed at protecting consumers by simplifying the confusing morass of terminology and brand names. In addition to the logo and acronym, Transport Canada is launching an educational campaign to educate buyers on the advantages of ESC.
A similar tack toward improving public awareness of (and appreciation for) ESC was taken in Europe recently in a campaign fronted and sponsored by ex-F1 champ Michael Schumacher. That campaign, called ‘Choose ESC!’ promoted the use of traction control and the ESC acronym, although not to the exclusion of other names like the Canada campaign. Nevertheless, the success of the campaign has resulted in some degree of standardization in the use of the term ESC to mean all forms of stability and traction control systems - regardless of manufacturer.
We can only agree with the decision - the simpler the better.