When it comes to student safety, we think of everything. We ensure their safety at school, in the bus, on the streets and every other place he may come in contact with. We even have systems to evaluate school performances and even the teachers. But how many schools care to access and analyze school bus drivers. It is a tough task, since they are part of a school, who work outside the school. Tracking school bus drivers and their driving pattern means the need for a physical presence throughout a bus journey. Is that true? Is there no means of checking up on a driver?
Well, that has been a problem of the past. The GPS technology incorporated in a reliable school bus tracking systems can help you get accurate readings of driving patterns. Hard braking and acceleration are the two processes that a school bus GPS looks out for. It helps not only to keep the students safe, but also the general public.
What is hard breaking and acceleration?
When applying a force on the brake or accelerator than what is required normally, it is said to be hard breaking. Monitoring such events using GPS helps to identify aggressive behavior in drivers, avoid uneconomic driving ethics and above all has the potential to notify of accidents via school bus tracker apps. In school bus trackers a GPS system along with an Automatic Crash Notification(ACN), can notify the school or the school bus fleet manager in the case of sudden braking or deceleration and also other emergency services in case of any hazardous outcomes.
Why monitor hard braking and acceleration?
- Helps reduce fuel waste: Driving pattern plays a key role in fuel consumption. A steady pace driving means lower fuel consumption while hard breaking and acceleration takes up a lot of fuel. A school bus tracker monitors braking and acceleration with the help of an accelerometer and instructs the driver about it. In some cases an efficiency of up to a mile per liter has been achieved.
- Environment friendly: When the fuel consumption increases, so does the pollutants. Keeping a check on braking and acceleration will help reduce fuel consumption, which means lesser pollutants are emitted. Drivers are forced to follow a better driving ethics and this helps to reduce pollution.
- Accident risk reduced: With better driving ethics come lesser road calamities. Drivers are forced to use a minimum of hard breaking and acceleration. They maintain a constant and safe road speed and any discrepancies are immediately identified by school bus tracking system and notified to the authority in charge.
- Brake maintenance: Maintenance charges on breaks are considerably reduced as minimalistic braking can reduce wear and tear of brakes. Fleet companies find this useful, since they spend huge amounts on maintenance.
- Identifying aggressive driving: The role of human element in road accidents are over 90%. In most of the cases careless and reckless driving patterns have been found to be the key issue. Reckless driving may be the result of an angry or stressed driver. The role of school bus GPS in realizing these issues prior to occurrence of accidents has helped save lives throughout the world.
Building a culture of tracking these kinds of driver activities helps to reduce rash driving to a great extent. Reduced rash driving means lesser number of risky situations, which directly results in better school bus safety.
