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leave the road could have disastrous consequences. True, most school buses travel at much lower speeds, but technology companies continue to address this issue and comply with new NHTSA guidelines, released last November, that encourage the development of features that decrease driver distraction.
“Te biggest distractions for SPECIAL REPORT
Tech Disrupt? Some student transporters worry that the advent of new technology in school buses can cause more distractions. But providers say they are key to helping drivers overcome them.
WRITTEN BY DEBBIE CURTIS D
istracted driving has always been a huge issue for school bus drivers. In a recent survey conducted by School Transportation News, the
overwhelming majority of responses indicated that student behavior remains the leading dis- traction facing student transporters today. Tat fact doesn’t seem to change, however, with cell phone usage skyrocketing despite the enactment of tougher laws. Other motorists on the road are more and more distracted by mobile devices and other technology with each passing day. Te National Safety Council reported in its publication Injury Facts 2017 that almost 90 percent of the 905 crashes studied were caused by driver error, impairment, fatigue, and distraction. Te results further buoy a seminal University of Utah study conducted a decade ago that concluded motorists using cell phones might as well be drunk.
38 School Transportation News • JUNE 2017 Studies have also shown that motorists
on the road using a cell phone, whether it is hand-held or hands-free, fail to see up to 50 percent of what is occurring in front of them. Most school bus drivers have had at least one distracted motorist sail through their red lights at a student stop, sometimes with fatal results. Laws vary from state to state, but hand-held devices for all drivers are banned in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Tere are 46 states and the District of Columbia with laws that ban texting. As trends in the transportation industry
evolve to include tablets, video with event reconstruction, telemetrics, GPS, and driver behavior data, the question arises: Are all these gadgets going to further distract drivers? Since a school bus traveling at 55 mph, for exam- ple, can travel the length of a football field in about five seconds, any time the driver’s eyes
drivers are managing students and navigation,” said Kevin Mest, senior vice president and GM of passenger services at Zonar Systems. “On any given day, I’d bet that 15 percent or more of routes are being driven by substitute drivers who are not famil- iar with the routes. With our aging workforce, and the shortage of driv- ers in general, if a substitute driver doesn’t have to fumble with route sheets, reading glasses, and other items to drive. It is much safer.” Zonar, like a growing number of technology companies, has devel- oped a tablet can go “dark” while the school bus is in operation to help keep driver’s eyes on the road. Te Connect tablet, Mest explained, is a central device that allows audio commands for navigation, such as providing the driver with turn-by- turn directions, notifying the loca- tion of upcoming bus stops and even integrated with the AM/FM radio so the driver doesn’t have to reach over and turn a knob.
Another option is integrating the tablet with the onboard cameras, Mest added, so the driver can press a button and create a screenshot of the interior of the bus for management back at the bus depot. “Tese are all very meaningful tools to improve safety,” he said. Zonar is also working with its new majority owner, Continental AG, to develop technology that helps determine if a driver is drowsy. Te technology would not only detect lane departures and other erratic be- havior, but would feature an inward facing camera that could monitor the physical attributes of drowsy driving, such as the driver’s head
CELEBRATING25YEARS
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