Starting next month, Iowa school districts may purchase the Gardian Angel school bus lighting system. This change comes after a committee of lawmakers reviewed a set of Education Department rules earlier this week. The rules will take effect as of October 2, 2019.
“Some people say the days are getting darker faster, I say they are just getting brighter!” said Gardian Angel LLC’s, Director of Marketing, Andrew Gardner.
The Gardian Angel LED lighting system is now currently available as optional equipment to school buses in the following 23 states: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Gardian Angel is an exterior lighting system that easily attaches to a school bus. The system delivers the most advanced technologies to prevent stop-arm violations and minimizes the public safety risks to students who rely on school transportation. This approved option also raises the bar for the current state construction standards, as well as exceeds the current federal standards.
With 23 states now approving the Gardian Angel, it comes as no surprise that the 17th National Congress on School Transportation is already in the process of amending the lighting standards in the Lamps and Signals section of the upcoming 2020 National School Bus Specifications and Procedures manual. This lighting system has truly lit up the nation as the U.S. Congress has even alluded to it during the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit hearing titled Examining the Federal Role in Improving School Bus Safety.
During the hearing, Honorable Congresswoman Carol Miller representative for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district, asked witness Ms. Kristin Poland, Ph. D., Deputy Director at the Office of Highway Safety for the National Transportation Safety Board about noticing a trend in the amount of off-the-bus accidents at night. Preceding her question Ms. Miller stated, “In Charleston, West Virginia, one of our school districts held a demonstration on a new safety lighting system that illuminates the paths students take to the bus in the dark. “Ms. Miller continued, “It’s been extremely helpful to the students and other drivers on the road.”
(Watch the hearing, already paired up for the section relating to the Gardian Angel school bus lighting system)
Shown below is an article posted on August 9, 2018 from School Bus Fleet magazine showing Kanawha County Schools in Charleston, West Virginia holding a demonstration at the St. Albans and Elkview bus terminals where the transportation department unveiled the Gardian Angel school bus lighting system.
This proactive school bus safety feature is meant to reduce the rates of illegal passing incidents, as well as to help the driver see better in the dark. It decreases the unloading and loading zone injuries and/or fatalities, and aids in the prevention of possible collisions and school bus accidents.
Iowa is ranked as the 28th Most Deadly State for school bus accidents ever recorded with 7 children fatalities in the loading/ unloading areas "danger zone" of a school bus. To see how deadly your state is watch the video below.
With the Gardian Angel, drivers can clearly see the students in darkness. The pedestrians have a lit path walking towards the bus. Traffic in front of the bus and behind the bus can also clearly see pedestrians walking towards the school bus in darkness. This is all possible because of the 1,000-lumen white LED flood light which shines out the sides of the front of the bus. The safety feature is aimed at the ground rather than directly on the students. It automatically turns on when the red lights are activated, and turns off when the entrance door of the bus is closed.
Gardian Angel, LLC reminds customers to check with state requirements for specific mounting locations as they may vary. School districts and contractors may begin purchasing Gardian Angels for their fleet at https://www.gardianangelllc.com.
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