Sign up for our weekly email to stay on top of the latest news and insights!
School Transportation News recently posted a detailed article on the safety innovations and advancements applied to modern school buses in the U.S. market. The article covered topics like electronic-stability control, collision mitigation and avoidance systems, smart braking, pedestrian monitoring and pedestrian assistance.
The story, “School Bus Manufacturers Revolutionizing Safety Features,” highlighted advances made by bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses and safety-systems suppliers Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems and WABCO.
Here are two excerpts from the article:
Collision Mitigation and Avoidance Systems
In combination with ESC [electronic-stability control] systems and air disc brakes, many school districts are now opting to add on collision mitigation systems, which include active braking and adaptive cruise control. Using forward-looking long-range radar to detect objects up to 650 feet ahead of a school bus, some collision mitigation systems, like the [WABCO] OnGuardACTIVETM collision mitigation system, provide audible, haptic and visual warnings intended to alert drivers to possible obstructions.
Related posts:
Bendix Intellipark® Offered on Thomas Built Buses
Thomas Built Buses Makes Electronic Stability Control Standard Feature
The systems are designed to detect a potential rear-end collision without the driver taking action to decelerate, to engage active braking to automatically throttle down the engine and, if necessary, to apply the foundation brakes to help avoid an impending collision.
To further assist the driver, collision avoidance systems can also detect and mitigate collisions, but they go a step further to alert drivers of pedestrians, cyclists, lane departures and even speeding beyond the posted limit.
Smart Braking
Not all safety features are beneficial to the bus while in motion. In fact, Thomas Built Buses’ Intellipark® feature, designed and manufactured by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, actually holds the bus in place.
Sign up for our weekly email to stay on top of the latest news and insights!
Intellipark is an advanced electric parking brake system that helps prevent rollaway and runaway crashes by automatically setting the parking brake if the driver forgets to set it before exiting the vehicle. After the brake has been set, the driver must take intentional steps to release the brake.
The entire article can be viewed by clicking HERE.
