With 90 per cent of all Australian crashes caused by minor mistakes such as distraction, fatigue or being slightly above the speed limit, the installation of early warning system “Mobileye” across a fleet of Victorian and NSW buses hopes to minimise at-fault incidents, prevent collisions and injuries – and potentially save lives.
Leading bus operator ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia has become the largest bus company in Australia to adopt Mobileye, in an initiative to enhance safety and decrease the risk of accidents by its drivers.
Being installed by FleetSafe into more than 1000 buses, Mobileye’s collision avoidance technology aims to assist in protecting drivers, passengers and other road users, especially the most vulnerable – pedestrians and cyclists.
“We’re pleased to invest in technology to enhance the safety of our drivers, passengers, and other road users in the communities that we serve,” said Nick Yap, CEO of CDC Victoria. “Australian roads are becoming increasingly congested and we are taking a step towards the future of transportation technology. Mobileye’s technology is an investment towards safer roads and safety is our primary focus.”
FleetSafe is the sole installer of Mobileye across Australia and New Zealand. Managing Director, Clive Rogers, said “Collision avoidance technology is currently available on new car models from every manufacturer. Mobileye’s aftermarket solution allows the same levels of safety to be added to older vehicles such as large fleets of buses, trucks and vans.”
“The more vehicles that are fitted with this system, the safer our roads will become for all users.”
Mobileye was recently purchased by Intel for $20.4 billion.
The device itself is basically a forward-facing visual sensor that constantly monitors the road ahead and, using artificial vision, is capable of (according to Mobileye) human-level perception to give drivers real-time alerts for tailgating, forward collision, speed limit indication, lane departure and pedestrian and bicycle collisions.
It can be retro-fitted onto any vehicle, and once installed there’s no ongoing maintenance or updates.
Through the driver alerts, the system also reinforces positive driving habits and has been proven to change driver behaviour resulting in a significantly lower-risk driving environment, Mobileye says.
CDC’s adoption of Mobileye aligns well with the wider Federal and State Governments’ push towards innovative and technologically advanced transport solutions,” says Yap.