IC Bus has a goal to support its customers in their important mission of getting children to and from school safely—on time, every time. IC Bus prides itself on producing the best buses that drive our future forward. Now, IC Bus is taking another step forward to drive industry leadership.
IC Bus is excited to be the first school bus original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to make electronic stability control and collision mitigation standard on all IC Bus models with air brakes. Electronic stability control will be available for buses with hydraulic brakes in the spring of 2019. Additionally, electronic stability control and collision mitigation will be available for propane and gasoline buses with air brakes in the spring of 2019.
Making this technology standard was something that took a great deal of consideration, but IC Bus knew it was the right thing to do for the school bus industry, its customers and for the students that ride IC Bus school buses.
Electronic Stability Control — How it Works
Electronic Stability Control helps drivers mitigate vehicle slides, skids and loss of control, through advanced monitoring of a variety of vehicle parameters and automatic and selective application of vehicle brakes—which provides stability on wet, snow and ice-covered surfaces. The system quickly and automatically intervenes to assist the driver if the vehicle is reaching a critical stability threshold, and can selectively apply vehicle brakes, as well as de-throttle the engine.
Collision Mitigation Technology — Active and Passive Safety Features
IC Bus is the only OEM to offer collision mitigation technology with active, as well as passive safety features, reflecting the most robust collision mitigation offering in the industry. An Active Safety System takes action to help mitigate a potential collision, such as de-throttling the engine and applying the vehicle brakes. A passive safety system provides alerts to the driver that they may need to take action.
Collision mitigation builds off of the electronic stability control features, utilizing radar to identify objects in its path, alerts the driver that action may be needed, and can actively apply the brakes to help mitigate, or potentially prevent a collision with a vehicle in the path of the bus.
The CE Series will provide the option of adding Bendix Wingman Fusion, which includes all of the benefits of the Bendix Wingman Advanced system, but employs an enhanced video technology and alert system that’s integrated with radar. That includes lane departure warnings, speeding alerts and automatic braking, when stationary vehicles are detected in the vehicle’s path. The system also prioritizes alerts to mitigate driver distraction when multiple alerts would occur simultaneously.
In recent weeks, the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that manufacturers should install electronic stability controls on all buses, and that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should mandate collision avoidance technology with automatic braking.
Regardless of how these recommendations play out, IC Bus is taking a stance in the industry and making this technology standard on its school buses.
For more information on the IC Bus electronic stability control and collision mitigation technology offering, visit ICBus.com.
