New radar system being tested locally could help prevent school bus stop accidents

ELKHART — Artificial intelligence is being used in our area with the goal of keeping kids safe as they board their school bus.

The “Predictive Stop Arm” is being tested right now at Elkhart Community Schools. The radar system monitors oncoming traffic.

The “Predictive Stop Arm” is a little attachment on the exterior of a school bus. But those who created the technology and districts who are using it say it could transform safety at the bus stop.

Derrick Agate is the Supervisor of Transportation at Hopkins Public Schools in Minnesota.

The district’s been testing the Predictive Stop Arm on its buses over the last couple of months.

“One of the drivers said that they’ve been driving for 20 years, and this is the newest technology that they’ve had that really focuses on the safety of kids,” said Agate.

He says he’s seen the technology work as it’s intended – alerting students to not cross the street when it recognizes a car will blow past the stop arm.

Chris Akiyama with Safe Fleet, the company creating the product, explains how it works.

“It will detect a vehicle, typically it could be out as far as 300 yards. And then based on its speed and distance, it will then calculate and determine whether that vehicle is likely to stop,” said Akiyama.

If the system recognizes a car may not stop in time, a light near the bus driver will go from green to yellow. A beep will also go off.

If it changes to red, that means algorithms predict the car won’t have enough time to stop and it’s going to blow past the stop arm. That will activate speakers outside of the bus.

Agate says a school bus is the safest mode of transportation for students, but adds driving a school bus can be very stressful. He says the Predictive Stop Arm can reduce that stress by helping drivers keep children safe in moments, potentially seconds from tragedy.

“Like the driver and I when that situation happened, we both looked at each other. And without even saying a word going ‘man, you don’t want to be in that situation where a child is harmed or killed on your watch,’” said Agate.

Elkhart Community Schools Chief Operating Officer Tony Gianesi is excited this new technology is being tested there because student safety is a priority.

“The very first thing they do every day is get on the school bus, if they ride a bus,” said Gianesi. “Not all students do, but many of our students do. Almost 8,000 of our over 12,000 students ride the bus. And the very last thing you do every day is get off the bus. So the worst thing that could happen is a tragedy as they’re trying to get to school or is there coming home from school. And this will hopefully help to prevent those tragedies.”

Gianesi says technology like the Predictive Stop Arm will be a great tool to help keep kids safe. But he emphasizes that drivers on the roads must pay more attention and be extra cautious when it comes to approaching school buses.

Representative Jackie Walorski is planning to see how the Predictive Stop Arm works on Monday.

The “Predictive Stop Arm” is being tested right now at Elkhart Community Schools. The radar system monitors oncoming traffic.

The “Predictive Stop Arm” is a little attachment on the exterior of a school bus. But those who created the technology and districts who are using it say it could transform safety at the bus stop.

https://wsbt.com/news/local/new-radar-system-being-tested-locally-could-help-prevent-school-bus-stop-accidents