Special devices in 10 BMTC buses to prevent accidents

Bengaluru: The BMTC has introduced the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology on 10 of its buses to prevent accidents by enhancing the defensive driving skills of its 10,000 drivers. 

The buses are fitted with 'Mobile 8 Connect' devices that consist of vision sensor cameras, Driver Monitoring System (DMS) cameras, GPS units, and eye watches, all mounted on the front windshield and interconnected. 

It's a pilot project and will last three months, the BMTC said in a statement. 

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy launched the project on Wednesday. 

The vision sensor camera helps identify vehicles moving ahead of the bus and continuously monitors the headway to maintain a safe distance from other vehicles. This helps to avoid any forward collision with vehicles, pedestrian collision, speed limit warning, etc. 

According to the BMTC, all these features are relayed to the driver through audio and visual alerts displayed on an 'eye watch' that's suitably fitted on his right side. 

The DMS is an inward camera that continuously watches the driver's movement and records the video before and after whenever unusual movements of the driver are noticed. 

The bus operator is installing cameras, panic buttons and mNVR (mobile network video recorder) in its buses for women's safety. An SOS button has also been developed in the Namma BMTC app that women passengers can use in case of any untoward incident on the bus. 

The SOS button can be used to report trouble/distress to women passengers, fights between crew and passengers, fights between passengers or any trouble to passengers. 

When a passenger presses the SOS/panic button, an automated alert is sent to the control room. Staff contact the bus crew and conduct a quick inquiry. 

If the alert turns out to be genuine, the control room will track the vehicle and convey the information to the nearest Sarathi vehicles so that it can reach the spot and take immediate action.