Video-based Safety:
The Key to a Safer Bus Fleet
A video-based safety program
can provide insight into risky
driving behaviors, present
unbiased analysis to increase
absolution and help agencies
avoid costly incidents.
By Jason Palmer B
USES ARE A PIVOTAL
form of transportation, providing
millions of Americans
convenient, cost-eff ective
access to work, schools
or other locations around
the city. According to the
American Public Transportation
Association (APTA),
public transportation ridership
is up more than 30 percent since
1996, and 50 percent of all public
transit trips occur by bus — a testament
to the economic and social
benefi ts to taking a bus. As with
any mode of transportation, safety
is paramount. Since the advent of
technology, the frequency of bus
crashes has gone down signifi cantly.
However, APTA notes there
were still 264 fatalities and millions
of dollars’ worth of damages
as a result of bus crashes in 2016
(the latest date for which statistics
are available). In order to ensure
the safe operation of this popular
form of public transit, a growing
number of transit agencies have
adopted video-based safety, an
increasingly popular advanced
technology with measurable benefi
ts in the transit space.
Video-based safety zeros
in on risky behavior
With traffi c congestion becoming
more and more problematic in
communities across the country,
the risks to public transit vehicles,
drivers and passengers grows. Bus
fl eets face an unusual set of risk
factors, as they oft en operate in
crowded city centers or pedestrian
fi lled suburban neighborhoods.
“Risk has increased for bus
fl eets everywhere, as traffi c populations
become more and more
dense, particularly in urban areas,”
stated Todd Cheever, safety director
of Nassau Inter-County Express
(NICE), a Transdev-operated fl eet.
“In large cities, bus operators
are extremely susceptible to unsafe
following distances,” said Cheever.
52 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
“It’s virtually impossible for operators
to leave adequate space between
their vehicles and the next
vehicle, as this cushion oft en gets
taken up immediately by reckless
drivers trying to gain every inch of
room in traffi c.”
As buses oft en lack seat belts,
injuries frequently result from
constant and abrupt stopping
and starting due to heavy traffi c.
Meanwhile, paratransit operators
who frequent suburban
neighborhoods are
more likely to roll stops
signs. Th is, of course,
not only endangers the
pedestrians and vehicles
sharing the roadways, but
is dangerous to the occupants
in the bus.
Additionally, driver
distraction is an increasing
problem in the
bus transit space.
With a myriad of
technologies in the bus and on the
roadways, it’s oft en diffi cult for
drivers to remain focused on the
road. Cellphones, infotainment
systems, voice command features
and even dispatcher communications
can all cause operators to be
distracted — and it only takes one
second of distraction to endanger
passenger lives.
Video technology can help
agencies by giving insight into
the riskiest driving behaviors, like
rolling stop signs, unsafe following
distances and near-miss traffi c
incidents. It also allows fl eet managers
an opportunity to identify
and improve their operators’ most
dangerous driving habits. Once a
recording triggers an event, the
video is offl oaded, reviewed and
scored. Fleet managers then can
focus their time on the drivers
and identifying the types of behaviors
and events that require the
most coaching. All operators have
their own unique strengths and
iStock
SmartDrive
VIDEO TECHNOLOGY
can help agencies
by giving insight
into the riskiest
driving behaviors
and identify and
improve their
operators’ most
dangerous driving
habits.
cies
/MassTransitmag.com