Citation

Turner R. Collision 2008; 3(2): 66-69.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Collision Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Many school buses are now equipped with front, rear and overhead digital camera views. This article describes how these digital images can be used to observe and study rollover injuries and their causes and effects. The article also highlights the need for more research and public information about school bus rollover accidents. Close-range photogrammetry and reverse projection techniques enable investigators to overlay a three dimensional bus interior with occupant kinematics showing passenger seating and body positions before, during and after the collision. Videoanalytics can determine the relative probability of increased school bus passenger injuries and confirm at what phase in the accident most of the injures occur. School buses have a high center of gravity, which increases as the weight of the student load increases, thereby raising the rollover risk. Static stability factor (SSF), which is the ratio between one-half of the track width and the height of the center of gravity above the road, has not been applied to school buses as it has been to other vehicles. The SSF rating system rates a vehicle's risk for a vehicle rollover. The author believes that SSF ratings should be made available and more understandable to school officials who make bus purchasing decisions.