Blue Bird introduced high-definition camera and Doppler radar technology aimed at increasing student safety around the school bus to the industry on Tuesday in Reno, Nev.
Blue Bird announced its next-generation Propane-Powered Vision conventional school bus on display at the STN EXPO Trade Show that featured the new Safestop-HD stop arm camera as well as the Smart-Vision mirror/monitor combination and the “CARE” advanced pedestrian protection system.
“Blue Bird is pleased to offer these exciting new options to the school bus market place,” said John Kwapis, Blue Bird’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “These options are an extension of Blue Bird’s commitment to providing the industry with state-of-the-art, valuable safety technology that supports optimal school bus safety.”
Last month, Blue Bird signed a deal with Safety Vision to offer the high-definition, stop-arm camera system. Exclusive to Blue Bird, the Safestop-HD is touted as a turnkey solution to enhance student safety by enforcing driver accountability and established local laws with the ability of school districts to raise revenue from illegal passing fines.
Blue Bird said the camera is mounted on the bus under the stop arm and starts recording immediately upon activation of the stop arm.
The camera captures vehicle information during a illegal pass and the data is stored in a built-in recorder that Blue Bird said can be easily retrieved.
Blue Bird is also partnering with Rosco Vision Systems to install the Smart-Vision combination rear-view mirror and camera system. A small camera installed at the rear of the bus translates a live, high-definition image of the area directly behind the bus when the vehicle is in reverse motion for the driver to see in the rear-view mirror. The technology was displayed by Rosco last fall at the NAPT Summit Trade Show in Cincinnati.
Doppler radar technology drives the “Child Alert Rapid Eyedentification” (CARE) system to alert school bus drivers of the presence of a pedestrian, student or otherwise, in the so-called “danger zone” located immediately around and underneath the bus.
When CARE detects a person, an audible alarm alerts the driver inside the bus and both an alarm and voice communications alert pedestrians outside of the bus.
The Blue Bird Vision propane bus equipped with the safety technology will be on display in at the STN EXPO Trade Show on July 24 in Booth B, located in the Grand Sierra Resort’s Nevada Exhibit Hall.
