School Bus Accidents and Injuries

School Bus Accidents and Injuries

Nearly every child in the United States attends school regularly, and there are many different ways that these children travel to school. While many children are driven to school by their parents, some walk or bike to school. Others take the school bus. According to statistics published in the Journal of Safety Research:

• For children who live within a mile of their school, about a quarter of children bike to school and a quarter of children walk to school.
• About half of all children rely on a passenger vehicle, such as a school bus, to take them to school.
• Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in children.
• 22 percent of all time spent in vehicles by children is either to or from school.

Every day, millions of children rely on a school bus to transport them to class safely. Many parents trust these highly trained drivers with the most treasured members of their family. Unfortunately, even in a vehicle as large as a school bus, accidents can occur. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps track of fatalities resulting from accidents, including those involving children. According to their database:

• Between the years of 2006 and 2015, there were close to 325,000 fatal motor vehicle crashes.
• Out of these, around 1,200 accidents involved transportation to or from school in some way.
• These accidents resulted in just over 1,300 deaths.

Because school buses are expected to transport children to school safely, it is important to do everything possible to prevent school bus accidents from occurring.

A Research Study: World Health Organization

A research study was published by the World Health Organization (WHO) which analyzed the risk factors involved in school bus accidents. These accidents have resulted in hundreds of deaths in school-aged children over the past few years. Statistics quoted from the NHTSA include:

• Over a period of ten years, over 300 children lost their lives in an accident related to school transportation.
• These fatalities were most likely to occur between the hours of 6 AM and 8 AM or the hours of 3 PM and 4 PM.
• About a third of these children were between the ages of 8 and 13.
• Impacts to the front end of the vehicles were involved in about half of all crashes.

Because of these accidents, researchers with the WHO wanted to see what factors increased the likelihood of an accident occurring. According to some of the statistics in the study:

• School bus accidents and traumatic injuries are more heavily impacted by factors inside of the bus than outside of the bus.

Upon surveying bus drivers:

• 61 percent of drivers said that noise outbursts impacted their focus.
• 48 percent of drivers said kids got out of their seats and distracted them while the bus was in motion.
• About a third of students would horseplay in their seats or the aisles.

The researchers continued their study by riding on the bus with the students and observing their behavior. They observed more than 350 bus rides spread across more than 120 buses. They found that:

• On around half of school bus rides, children did not have their seatbelts buckled while the bus was in motion.
• On about a quarter of all bus rides, none of their children had their seat belt fastened at all.
• Children were more likely to be noisy, exit their seat, or engage in horseplay on afternoon bus rides than on morning bus rides.

This information should be concerning to parents, teachers, and bus drivers because it can lead to an increased chance of having a bus accident.

Research Study Discussion

While a significant amount of attention has been paid to factors outside of the bus, it is just as important to pay attention to what is happening inside of the bus. In many cases, bus drivers are not able to enforce seatbelt use or make children stay in their seats. Furthermore, some buses still do not have seatbelts at all. According to information published by the NHTSA, a significant number of school bus accidents involve rollover accidents. If children are not strapped into their seats or are horseplaying in the aisles, they are more likely to suffer serious injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. Therefore, it is vital to make sure that all school buses have seatbelts and that all students wear their belts at all times. According to the study, bus drivers do not feel they can keep their focus on the seatbelts, the students, and the road at the same time. Because of this, it may be prudent for school buses to have chaperones on the bus with the students. Any parent who has concerns about the safety of their children on the school bus should contact their local school. If their child has been hurt while on a school bus, speaking with a School Bus Accident Lawyer in Sacramento is a good idea.

Watch YouTube Video: Why Many School Buses Don't Have Seat Belts to Prevent Tragedies Like Chattanooga Crash. This short news clip explains why there are no seat belts on school buses.

Image Citation: The school bu picture at the beginning can be viewed in its original form on Pixabay. It has been printed at the top of this post with permission.
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