The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) reports that it has seen great benefit from the installation of S-1 GARDs on the rear wheels of Metrobuses. The devices were installed on the entire fleet of 1,464 Metrobuses in 2001. Since that time, no one has been harmed by falling near or in the path of the rear wheel of a bus.
Ron Keele, Director of Passenger, Vehicle, Fire Life Safety and Emergency Management, contributes this safety record to human factor and safety engineering technology. “When people see the device, they stay away from the rear wheel,” reports Mr. Keele. “Risk statistics indicate that two to three people per year would have been injured or worse by falling beneath the right rear wheel of the bus if these devices had not been installed.”
That safety record also translates into a monetary saving for Metro as well because the Authority has not been required to cover expenditures resulting from an injury or fatality due to that type of accident.