When it comes to danger zone safety, Dave McDonald, president of Safe Bus Consulting, noted video cameras can supplement but not replace mirrors by providing the driver an expanded and enhanced field of vision, including night vision and elimination of blind spots inherent with traditional mirrors.
Rearview Camera Monitoring Systems (CMS) are now in use on many commercial vehicles, including Class 8 trucks and transit buses via a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration exemption, said the retired executive vice president for Rosco Vision Systems.
“They are also being piloted on school buses in some states,” McDonald added. “The concept of entirely mirrorless designs replacing bulky exterior rearview mirrors with high-definition digital video cameras and interior monitors is now becoming a reality.
“CMS, also known as electronic or e-mirrors, provide enhanced visibility in low-light and nighttime driving, are impervious to adverse weather conditions, improve aerodynamics to reduce fuel consumption, and eliminate the risk of damage from raid signs, trees, etc.”
Drivers should continue to rely on their cross view/crossover mirrors in addition to their rearview mirrors and supplemental camera systems, he noted.
“Proper mirror adjustment is crucial with regard to the forward Danger Zone,” said McDonald, who taught a class on proper mirror adjustment and avoiding distraction at the STN EXPO East conference in March. “A 360-degree camera system may enhance the driver’s overall field of view. Smart camera technology can provide drivers an alert to potential deadly situations around the perimeter of the bus.”
Related: (STN Podcast E296) Technology Has Blossomed: School Bus Mirrors & Student Safety
Related: Utah School Districts Installs A.I. Cameras to Track Driver Behavior
Related: Rosco Receives Federal Exemption for Mirror-less Video Monitoring System
Meanwhile, in a related School Transportation News article, Smart Move, in the July issue, AI-enabled school bus camera systems are shifting transportation departments from reactive incident review to proactive driver coaching. Vendors noted that modern systems can detect risky behaviors such as distraction, phone use, fatigue, seat belt violations, harsh braking, swerving, following too closely and possible microsleeps. These systems use driver-facing and outward-facing video cameras, telematics, computer vision and machine learning to create alerts, video clips and driver safety scores that supervisors can use for coaching, training and trend analysis.
To McDonald’s point, however, AI cameras are not meant to replace human judgment. Experts note that video cameras can flag symptoms of distress or unsafe behavior, but they cannot determine causes such as intoxication, medical issues or personal needs. Route and telematics data could eventually help districts identify fatigue patterns or stress points in a driver’s day.
