b'A metal-detecting radar sensor mounted at the front of a Cullman County Schools bus. The collision mitigation technology benefited the Alabama district before it even took possession of the bus.who are transported by school buses, but for others into slow the vehicle down and restore vehicle control.and around them. As complex as that sounds, all of the sensors work in unison as a collision mitigation system to avoid crashes. Sensors Working in Concert That seamless system operates automatically, without Collision mitigation systems are designed to workany action required by the driver. Most drivers and pas-via a network of sensors. These include wheel speedsengers dont even know that it is installed and operating.sensors that work in concert with the drivers actions. For instance, steering-angle sensors monitor the driversTrying Before Buyingactions of moving the bus left or right. Likewise, a sensorJeffrey Harper is the transportation director of the detects and generates feedback on vehicle direction.Cullman County School System, which is located about And they all collaborate with other sensors that arehalfway between Mobile to the north and Birmingham located on the bus chassis that detect a lateral shift into the south. His district owned the buses that came either the bus direction or the center of gravity of thewere delivered from Oklahoma with the newly minted entire bus frame. collision mitigation systems.Remarkably, the system detects a loss of driver controlHis school district now operates a fleet of 110 buses that and cuts the drivers throttle, while automatically brakingtransport 5,000 pupils each day. Of those 110 vehicles, www.stnonline.com37'