Current Practices in the Use of Onboard Technologies to Avoid Transit Bus Incidents and Accidents

Transit agencies around the country are facing the challenges of reducing transit bus collisions and the injuries, fatalities, and liability expenses associated with these collisions.

The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Synthesis 145: Current Practices in the Use of Onboard Technologies to Avoid Transit Bus Incidents and Accidents documents the current practices in the use of the various onboard technologies on transit buses to prevent incidents and accidents, with a primary objective of determining whether these technologies are effective in actual practice.

The examination shows that many transit agencies are proactively instituting a number of approaches to address these collisions, including the piloting and use of collision avoidance technologies, such as forward collision warning (FCW), emergency braking, lane departure warning (LDW), and electronic stability control (ESC).