Skip to main content

Japan looking at automatic braking for buses

Installation of automatic braking systems in buses is being considered by Japan’s Transport Ministry. The advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) will be activated upon the detection of the risk of a crash and is one of a number of high-tech safety advancements being reviewed by the ministry to be mandated for buses.
May 18, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Installation of automatic braking systems in buses is being considered by 5627 Japan’s Transport Ministry. The advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) will be activated upon the detection of the risk of a crash and is one of a number of high-tech safety advancements being reviewed by the ministry to be mandated for buses.

Meanwhile, industry officials have stated that Japan’s tour bus sector has created new safety rules to govern the operation of buses. This comes after a bus crash in Gunma Prefecture a few weeks ago that led to the deaths of seven people when the driver fell asleep and the bus veered into a sound-suppression wall.

New rules require that overnight buses must have two drivers if the vehicle needs to travel for over 450km. If there is only one driver, the travel distance must be less than 450km overnight. Another measure is that travel agencies must inform passengers how many drivers will be on board as well as enable them to inspect legal compliance and safety measures of bus operators in written documents.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Advanced ITS truck screening aids border control
    March 14, 2012
    State-of-the-art ITS technologies are being deployed for tracking of commercial vehicles at the US-Mexico border in Arizona, reports Pete Goldin. The border between the US and Mexico may be the epitome of America's wild west, but this remote desert frontier is being tamed by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) with a state-of-the-art ITS system. A comprehensive port-of-entry (POE) screening system is being deployed at the Mariposa Port of Entry – one of the busiest land ports in the nation – at
  • Cooperative infrastructure systems waiting for the go ahead
    February 3, 2012
    Despite much research and technological promise, progress towards cooperative infrastructure system deployment is still slow. Here, Robert Cone and John Miles take a considered look at how and when it might come about. From a systems engineering viewpoint it looks logical and inevitable that vehicles should be communicating between themselves and with the road infrastructure. But seen from a business viewpoint the case is not proven.
  • Swedish drivers support speed cameras
    March 17, 2014
    In sharp contrast to many other countries drivers in Sweden support speed cameras and the planned expansion of the automated enforcement network. Sweden is embarking on a massive expansion of its speed camera network and is doing so with both a very high level of public acceptance and without its drivers feeling persecuted; a feat the administrations in many other countries would like to emulate. So how did this envious state of affairs come about? Magnus Ferlander director of business development and ma
  • Alcohol interlocks aid drink drive adherence
    October 28, 2016
    The use of alcohol interlocks to prevent drink driving and change driver behaviour is gaining ground around the world but needs greater buy-in from authorities as Colin Sowman discovers. The often repeated mantra says that prevention is better than cure - and none more so than in the case of drink-driving. The introduction of the breathalyser provided an objective indication of alcohol consumption instead of having drivers touch their nose or walk in a straight line. Initially breathalysers were used as a r