National School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 20-24 and Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems is sharing training and technology to keep America's 25 million school bus passengers safe.
"Our mission at Bendix is rooted in supporting the people and vehicles responsible for safely transporting students every day," says Nicole Oreskovic, Bendix's vice president of sales and marketing. "That means delivering the technologies that help protect passengers, empowering drivers with tools that support their work behind the wheel, and partnering with school districts and OEMs to keep safety evolving."
Air disc brakes enhance bus safety
Keith McComsey, technical sales lead for wheel-ends at Bendix, says air disc brakes provide shorter stopping distances and smoother, more stable stops than drum brakes.
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"School transportation safety managers are recognizing the significant difference air disc brakes make," he says. "Since we introduced the Bendix ADB22X air disc brake to the school bus market in 2008, adoption has continued to grow, with thousands of new school buses equipped each year."
ADAS and school buses
Air disc brakes at the wheel-ends also help with other safety systems, Bendix says. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program, help drivers potentially mitigate rollover and loss-of-control situations. The systems function on a range of road conditions and in all weather, and can apply braking in ways the driver cannot.
Bendix's Wingman Advanced pairs radar with the ESP braking system to deliver active cruise control with braking, providing both alerts and active brake interventions that can help drivers potentially mitigate rear-end collisions.
Bendix Fusion brings together forward-facing radar, camera, braking system and data into a unified system that delivers features such as autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warnings.
"Technologies like full stability and collision mitigation are effective tools that make a real difference on the road," says TJ Thomas, Bendix's director of marketing and customer solutions. "Their importance is reflected in the ongoing advocacy of organizations such as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and NAPT, both of which support the adoption of these technologies in school bus fleets."
Parking buses safely
Bendix says its Intellipark electronic parking brake is another innovation that can enhance school bus safety. The system sets the parking brake automatically when it detects the driver may have forgotten.
To do so, Intellipark monitors critical inputs such as foot brake status, accelerator position and wheel spread to determine when the vehicle should be parked. This replaces the traditional yellow push-pull dash valve with an easy-to-engage electronic switch that improves ergonomics and and eliminates the sting associated with manual valves. LED indicators show the system's status.
Training for school bus maintenance
Bendix says it supports fleets and drivers through hands-on demonstrations, continuous education and resources to sharpen skills and increase understanding of how safety technologies work in the real world.
Resources include the Bendix YouTube channel and brake-school.com.
"We remain committed to working with OEMs, school districts and transportation professionals to deliver the technologies, training and tools needed to keep passengers safe," Thomas says. "It's a mission we're proud to share — and one that students and families across the country rely on."
