Pedestrian Protector: A New Era of Student Safety

Despite the school bus being one of the safest means of transportation for students, pedestrian accidents related to school bus activities remain a serious concern.

Every year, around 17,000 students end up in emergency rooms due to incidents linked to school buses.

These statistics highlight a critical need for enhanced safety measures to protect our youngest and most vulnerable commuters.

The Need for Advanced Safety Solutions

Incorporating cutting-edge safety technology into our school buses is more than just being forward-thinking.

Traditional safety measures, while effective, are not sophisticated enough for the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the environments around school buses.

Advanced systems, such as AI-driven video surveillance, are a pivotal shift in how student safety is approached. They have the ability to make student transportation safer than ever.

These technologies offer real-time awareness and the ability to act before potential incidents occur, capabilities far beyond human oversight alone.

Incorporating Technology in School Transportation

For school systems working hard to keep students safe, bringing in advanced safety systems is essential.

The potential to significantly reduce pedestrian accidents by providing bus drivers with comprehensive situational awareness is a new frontier and the next generation of school bus safety.

Navigating Visibility Challenge

School buses are designed to be safe, but they still face a variety of challenges when it comes to seeing everything around them clearly.

Blind spots, the areas around the bus that the driver can’t easily see, are a major concern.

Around every school bus, there’s a 10-foot “danger zone” where the driver’s vision is blocked.

These blind spots can hide small children, especially near the front or back of the bus, or when kids are crossing close by.

This problem is worse during busy times like morning drop-offs or afternoon pickups, and compounded when there is bad weather or low lighting.

The ability to use enhanced safety tools that can give bus drivers the visibility they need to keep children safe during their school commutes is the next evolution of safety.

Leading the Way in School Transportation Safety

Gatekeeper has long stood at the forefront of school bus safety solutions.

With decades of experience and a deep understanding of the unique challenges in school transportation, Gatekeeper has continuously evolved, embracing cutting-edge technologies to meet and exceed safety standards.

Pedestrian Protector: How it Works

Gatekeeper’s Pedestrian Protector system is a leap forward in school bus safety. It uses state-of-the-art video analytics and artificial intelligence to protect students around school buses.

Integrated with Gatekeeper’s 360-degree Surround Vision System SV12 v3 and Video Display Mirror or Display Monitors, it offers a panoramic view around the vehicle, alerting the driver to nearby pedestrians.

When a bus is stopped, the system activates, with AI-powered cameras monitoring the surroundings for pedestrian movement.

It uses an advanced AI algorithm to identify pedestrians and ignore non-relevant objects like street signs, trees, and vehicles.

If a pedestrian is within a critical distance from the bus, the system highlights them on the display screen with an optional audio alert as well.

Advanced Monitoring for Comprehensive Safety

Using two distinct display views, the Pedestrian Protector system provides drivers with a comprehensive view of their immediate environment.

The first display shows the exterior of the bus, highlighting pedestrians with color-coded bounding boxes based on their proximity.

Red boxes signal pedestrians within a ten-foot radius, the blind spot “danger zone”. Yellow boxes indicate those within a safer, yet still monitored, twenty-foot range.

Dual-View Visibility for Enhanced Awareness

The second display records and shows real-time footage of students as they exit the bus, stand at the curb, and cross streets.

This dual-view capability ensures drivers are fully aware of their surroundings, with a focus on the safety of students getting on and off the bus, a time recognized as having the highest risk.

A New Horizon in School Bus Safety

By providing real-time data to bus drivers, the Pedestrian Protector greatly reduces the risk of pedestrian accidents, especially during the critical moments of boarding and unboarding from the bus.

This increased situational awareness allows drivers to react quickly to potential dangers, and helps minimize the risks posed by school bus blind spots.

Flexible Integration

The system can be integrated into existing school buses, or included in new installations. This flexibility and ease of adoption is ideal for school districts looking to leverag technology for the safety of its students

Embracing the Future of Student Safety

Gatekeeper’s Pedestrian Protector represents a new era in school bus safety.

By using the latest in AI and video monitoring technology, the system helps protect the most vulnerable among us.

With every school bus journey, Gatekeeper continues to set new standards in safety and reliability, driving forward into a safer future for all.