Thomas Built Buses has teamed up with Mobileye Aftermarket, a division of Mobileye N.V., the global leader in the development of vision and data analysis for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and autonomous driving, and Pana-Pacific, to offer the Mobileye Aftermarket collision avoidance system as a factory-installed option for the popular Saf-T-Liner® C2 as part of its BusWise® suite of technologies.
Thomas Built Buses is the first OEM in the pupil transportation industry to offer this safety technology. The Mobileye Aftermarket system will be an available option on new orders of the Saf-T-Liner® C2 placed on or after November 11, 2015.
The Mobileye Aftermarket system provides collision prevention and mitigation by warning drivers of potential incidents before they happen. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 93% of accidents are due to human error. An alert system such as Mobileye can give a distracted driver the opportunity to avoid a collision or mitigate its severity.
The safety benefits of collision avoidance systems like Mobileye have been proven to reduce collisions and the injuries and fatalities involved. In fact, in its most recent report, the NHTSA recommends all vehicles be equipped with a forward collision avoidance system.
“Mobileye Aftermarket provides drivers with a valuable tool to help mitigate accidents, which is critical especially when you consider the passengers on Thomas Built buses,” said Michael Backman, general manager, Mobileye Aftermarket USA.
In addition to the forward collision warning, the Mobileye Aftermarket system also offers pedestrian and cyclist detection, headway monitoring to avoid tailgating, lane departure warning to help avoid drifting, and speed limit indication.
“The Mobileye Aftermarket system will greatly enhance the safety of students and drivers on our buses,” said Tracy Mack-Askew, vice president of Engineering for Thomas Built Buses. “Mobileye Aftermarket offers a collision warning system that will give bus drivers an additional level of support so they can be even more aware of potential threats on the road. The effectiveness of its alerts and its success in other markets make this partnership and new technology a must.”
In fact, one of Mobileye’s customers, Coca Cola Hellenic, has realized a 15 percent reduction in accidents. The system not only worked to make the fleet safer, but also trained drivers on how to maintain a safer fleet.
“Thomas Built Buses hopes to utilize this technology in the future to assist with driver training on school buses,” added Mack-Askew.
