Premier Services, one of our advertisers offer this system for bus conversions. Check out this video to see how you too can be protected if someone cuts your bus off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1LuKgPsViM&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1LuKgPsViM&feature=youtu.be)
Check them out at www.operationsaferoad.com (http://www.operationsaferoad.com)
Gary
Most every long-time truck driver has seen situations like this or very close calls that could have resulted in something just like this. If it was a miss, the other vehicle driver would quite often use the phone number on the back of the trailer to make a complaint to the truck driver's company. The way things are now, it might be prudent to have cameras on the rear or side as well.
Most all trucking companies are using dash cams-with both driver and outside view to see if the driver falls asleep. When we get out on the road, we will have a dash cam. Good Luck, TomC
I am not full time, but I have been blessed with 10 years of safe travel in my bus. Several years ago a driver in a car passed me on a four lane highway where the speed limit was 55mph. When they were only a car length ahead of me they turned on their right hand turn signal, came over into my lane, then slammed on the brakes and made a right hand turn into a gas station. Initially I thought they were just cutting it close coming back into the right lane. I missed the guy by a mere few feet. The first trip we took in the bus we were running 65 on the interstate following a small car at a safe distance. There were no other vehicles around or in front of her, and for no apparent reason, she just slammed on the brakes. I hit the brakes and the air horn. Apparently it startled her and she hit the gas and accelerated. Had she not accelerated I would have hit her.
I realized in both of those situations it would have been my word against theirs. With the prices dropping, there is no reason a bus owner couldn't have a dash-cam. I highly recommend it.
Safe Travels, Breck
I have now used a dash cam for about 10 years. It will never prevent an accident but it will record events like the two mentioned above in case there is an accident.
We do not have sound because I don't need to have my remarks memorialized.
The last trucking company I worked for did not have any cameras, but they did have deceleration sensors and complete real-time reporting of speed and engine information. If you braked too hard (in their opinion) a red light would appear on the Qualcom computer with a request for an explanation of why you had braked so hard. The issue of interior cameras was sensitive because of privacy concerns.
I have a dash camera in my car which cost under $100 and offers HD video. There is a lot to learn over at dashcamtalk.com