Special Report
say it’s been helpful to help change driving habits for the better.” He said he doesn’t see the same need for ESC, since his buses
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Versa-Track seating system provides maximum versatility and safety
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Bolted safety-cage provides enhanced crash protection
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travel at low speeds. Te city maintains its roads well in the winter, and school is closed if weather gets too severe, he added. Blue Bird offers an electronic stability program (ESP) from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems on its Type C buses, and it was the first school bus manufacturer to do so, about six months before NHTSA finalized the rule. Te Bendix system is also an available feature on the CE Series and RE Series from IC Bus. Tomas Built Bus has offered SmartTrac electronic stability control
from Meritor WABCO on its Type C buses since September 2015. Its Saf-T-Liner C2 is available with the BusWise suite of safety technology, which includes collision avoidance and a 360-degree camera. Te Lion Electric Company of Quebec does not currently offer
ESC, but it said the feature is easily added, especially if it becomes mandatory on school buses. Collision avoidance technology is also not currently an option, as it would require changing the power steering. But Marie Bedard, the business relationship manager for Lion Electric, said the company “will offer this once the technology is available and the market is ready for it.” “We’re seeing more and more vendors interested in having the technology available,” observed Frederick Andersky, director of government and industry affairs for Bendix. He said that fatal school bus crashes have driven communities and school districts to question what could have prevented the crash. Tis spurred man- ufacturers to develop and offer safety features that were previously available on other vehicles but not on school buses. “Past performance doesn’t guarantee future performance, and just because you haven’t had a rollover, loss of control or collision, doesn’t mean that can’t happen in the future,” Andersky emphasized. “And with the higher number of distracted drivers out on the road and with school buses doing more duty than just the neighborhood pick- up and drop-off—like running the band from city A to city B on the freeways or the interstate—there’s no reason why these technologies shouldn’t be considered or even part of the package.” Te significance of this safety discussion was highlighted by the fact that it came on the heels of a May 17, 2018 school bus field trip crash that killed a teacher and student in New Jersey, where only two-point seat belts are mandatory. On May 29, Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Rep. John F. Faso intro- duced H.R. 5984, which would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to update federal requirements to include lap-shoulder belts on all school buses. As of this writing, the bill had been referred to the House Subcommittee on Highways & Transit. In Jan. 2018, New Jersey state Sen. Samuel Tompson introduced S233, which would update the seat belt requirement to three-point restraints. He has presented the same legislation several times before and the latest version is still in the Senate Education Com- mittee. On June 4, four state representatives introduced the same legislation as A4110 in the state assembly, where it is pending in the Assembly Education Committee.
Te STN EXPO Trade Show on July 17 is expected to feature several safety innovations from OEMs. Stay tuned at
stnonline.com/go/cc. 20 School Transportation News • JULY 2018
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