School Bus Crashes

Back to school time means back to bus time — which can be deadly for children. School buses are often carrying many children at one time, which can lead to very grisly crashes in the event that the driver is not at his or her best.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that school buses help to keep an estimated 17.3 million cars off roads that surround schools every day — which ultimately makes those roads safer for pedestrians, both children and adults alike. As such, the NHTSA reports that school buses are the safest mode of transportation to get children back and forth from school.

More than half of all student fatalities occur when the student is traveling with a teen driver. Twenty-three percent of all student fatalities occur when the student is traveling with an adult driver. Only 1 percent of student fatalities occur when a student is traveling by school bus. This means that they are approximately 50 times more likely to arrive to school if they travel by bus than if they travel with a friend or a parent in a private car.

The NHTSA has recently recommended that school buses reintroduce the use of child restraint systems in all school buses that have endured a moderate or severe crash. The use of these restraint systems will allow for children involved in a subsequent crash in that vehicle to remain safe, even if the structural integrity of the vehicle has been majorly compromised. The NHTSA does not recommend that restraints be added to school buses that have only endured minor crashes, providing that no occupant was injured, the bus was able to be driven away, and that if air bags are present that they did not deploy, among other things.

If you or someone you know has been involved in school bus accident and were injured, you may be eligible for compensation. Do not go through it alone. Contact an experienced Lake County bus accident attorney today.

Sources:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/School-Buses

http://www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/staticfiles/tsm/PDF/schoolbus_safety2.pdf