Given the primary purpose of a school bus vehicle, these vehicles include several safety devices. Indeed, governmental regulation, both federal and state level, require certain features. In particular, the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for School Buses requires school bus pedestrian safety devices, for example, a stop signal arm, roll over protection, body joint strength, and passenger seating and crash protection. Of course, the federal and state regulations merely establish a floor requirement for safety devices, and there is a robust market for supplemental safety devices, such as the near ubiquitous school bus crossing arm.
Federal regulations define the “[s] top signal arm means [as] a device that can be extended outward from the side of a school bus to provide a signal to other motorists not to pass the bus because it has stopped to load or discharge passengers.” 49 C.F.R. § 571.131. Regulations mandate the shape and font lettering size for the stop signal arm. Nevertheless, there have been several approaches to improving the visibility of the stop signal arm.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,245,465 to Geyer et al. discloses another approach to the stop signal arm device. This device extends further into the adjacent lane to reduce instances in which motorists pass a stopped school bus. A first frame is permanently secured to conventional stop sign mechanism. A second breakaway frame or arm is attachable to and detachable from the first frame, and extends beyond the conventional stop sign. If a vehicle strikes the second frame, it separates without significantly damaging the conventional stop sign mechanism. The extension arm can be moved between a retracted and extended position by the same mechanism that opens and closes the conventional stop sign, or with a new mechanism entirely.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds