National School Bus Safety Week, taking place Oct. 20-24, is a public education program promoting school bus safety, sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT). Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles, supports the National School Bus Safety Week mission of making school bus transportation safer for all students.
“We have long known that the technologies that aid in reducing the likelihood of commercial vehicle accidents also have the potential to improve school bus safety,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs. “School districts are already employing air disc brakes for better stopping performance, and there is significant interest as well in systems that help drivers mitigate rollover, loss-of-control, and rear-end collision situations. These technologies can help make a difference for school buses engaged in every kind of travel, from door-to-door driving on local roads to the highway trips many sports teams and other school groups take.”
A school bus equipped with several Bendix systems – including Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program full-stability system, Bendix Wingman Advanced – A Collision Mitigation Technology, and the Bendix ADB22X™ air disc brake – made its debut at the Bendix Washington, D.C., demo in May 2014.
Bendix ESP uses a system of sensors to recognize and mitigate conditions that could lead to rollover and loss-of-control. Wingman Advanced features a front-mounted radar sensor and provides active cruise control with braking features, along with collision mitigation technology that delivers both warnings and active interventions to help drivers potentially avoid rear-end collisions or at least help reduce their severity. The Bendix ADB22Xoffers passenger car-like feel with consistently straight, stable stops, while virtually eliminating brake fade with no degradation of stopping power.
No matter the technology, Bendix safety systems are designed to supplement safe driving practices and are not intended to enable or encourage drivers to drive more aggressively. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times.
According to the NAPT, America’s school buses transport 25.2 million students twice a day every school day, and remain the safest option for getting students to and from school.
“Well-trained, skilled school bus drivers practicing safe driving habits remain the key to safe school bus travel, and no technology can replace their importance at the wheel,” Andersky said. “We’ll keep working to help develop the most advanced vehicles possible so that America’s school bus drivers can provide a safe ride to every passenger they carry.”
