Blue Bird Corporation on Thursday announced a safety overhaul for its buses, the largest in company history.
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"For nearly a century, our children's safety has been our business," says Britton Smith, president of Blue Bird. "We proudly carry millions of school children every year, the most precious cargo in the world. Today we raise the bar even higher for student transportation by announcing the most comprehensive safety upgrades to our school buses in our history."
Starting this fall, new Blue Bird buses will have three-point seat belts as standard protection for all passengers. It will also add a steering wheel-deployed air bag, 4Front, developed in partnership with IMMI; high-intensity LED lighting; high-resolution front and rear cameras; lighted stop arms; lighted school bus signs; and strobe lights. Blue Bird will also implement collision mitigation systems.
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"We are thrilled to partner with iconic school bus manufacturer Blue Bird as their new seating and advanced safety supplier," IMMI CEO Larry Gray says. "School buses carry millions of school children every day and literally our nation's future. We applaud Blue Bird for its bold leadership to make lap-shoulder belts standard safety equipment, while also leading the way to better protect drivers."
