Are your reflexes better than the technology?

Karl is pretty sure that you’re no match for a good ESC (Electronic Stability Control) system... How handy are you behind the wheel? Ask most people that question and despite good intentions of being honest, the response most often offered will be somewhere between “pretty good” and “Lewis Hamilton.” The truth, however, is usually quite a contrast. Throw most people into the pressure cooker of real world driving, and the skills shortage rears its ugly head – which is not the environment in which you can make an error. It was pointed out to us quite markedly at an Audi driver training event recently. The task was simple. Approach a couple of marker cones at speed (on a very wet track), and yank the steering wheel to the right, simulating an object suddenly appearing on your left. It could be a tree falling, it could be a car about to T-bone you – it doesn’t matter what it is, you need to get the hell out of its way. In an Audi RS Q3, it seems like a fairly simple task – grippy tyres, all-wheel-drive, what could go wrong? Well, switch the ESC off and some very interesting ballet moves become apparent. At 100kmh, the little Q3 lifts its inside rear wheel and it flicks one way and then the other. At certain speeds, it doesn’t matter whether you’re skilled or not, there’s no escaping the laws of physics. Even seasoned race drivers have limited control, and it’s more about bringing the car to a stop once it begins its pirouettes. Drivers with no race background fare much, much worse. Off into the grass, knocking cones for a six, it would be hilarious if it wasn’t representative of what could happen in the real world. In fact, once you start imagining other objects in your path when a vehicle is out of control, it suddenly becomes very sobering. Trying the exercise again with the ESC on is eye-opening. The car flicks, but is grabbed by the brakes and even if it tries to flick back again, the stability control is on top of that too. We started experimenting a little, seeing if we could override the ESC and get some proper slides happening. It can be done, but it needs some ham-fisted wheel inputs. Fun? Sure. But only in the proper environment. Here’s the thing: no matter how good you think you are, there’s only one brake pedal in front of you. Stability control is like having four brake pedals, one for each wheel – and then operating them all independently, in the best method to prevent the car from spinning away. Until someone grows four legs and is able to use all the pedals in the millisecond applications that ESC is able to, then it’s a safe bet that we’re not as good as we think we are. Yes, you may be able to drift and yes, you may have lots of experience behind the wheel, but the safety net that comes with ESC is literally life-saving. It may be fun to switch it off sometimes, but do so at your own peril. Life’s too precious to waste.