The Brno Transport Company (DPMB) will test special collision cameras on four buses that will alert drivers to the potential risk of collision with pedestrians, cyclists or bikers. The company has borrowed the equipment for three months and will evaluate its benefits. Photo credit: DPMB
Brno, 30 May (BD) – “A blind spot is a term we all know from practice as car drivers. There are places that are very difficult to see while driving with a rearview mirror or a direct view. The device we are testing monitors these angles and informs the driver about the possible risk of collision with pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. Personally, I am curious about the experience of our drivers with this device,” said Miloš Havránek, General Director of DPMB.
Special cameras are installed in four places on the bus – two on the front and two on the rear. Artificial vision is designed to identify living objects in the field of view well in advance, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, while ignoring inanimate objects.
The system alerts the driver to the risk of a collision with a colored light signal. A yellow light indicates that a person is present in one of the dead zones and urges the driver to use caution. If the person is directly in a collision path and there is an imminent danger of a collision, the driver’s red warning light comes on with an audible signal.
In addition to risk situations, the device also evaluates other parameters, such as driving dynamics – whether the driver is doing anything unnecessary, like unneeded acceleration or sharp braking. These are unpleasant for passengers, but also affect fuel consumption. The technology will also monitor vehicles as they move from lane to lane, which is generally a common cause of accidents. All data will be collected and used by DPMB for analysis and driver training.
DPMB will borrow the collision cameras from the system manufacturer free of charge for a period of three months. The price of one such device is around CZK 100,000. The trial is part of a year-long safety campaign being run by DPMB, alongside various other activities related to safe travel.
