Bus Accident

Public transportation is often believed to be the safe choice for getting around urban areas, but this is not always the case. Around fifty five thousand bus accidents occur in the US each year, and resulting injuries can be severe because buses generally do not have seatbelts. While statistically riding a bus is much safer than riding in a car, no transportation choice is one hundred percent safe.

School Bus Accidents

The school bus is often regarded as a comforting, positive force in communities. But with the number of children and schools in the US, school bus accidents are bound to happen. Since 1998, 149 school age pedestrians have died in school transportation related crashes (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811165.pdf). It may be surprising to learn that federal law does not require seatbelts on school buses (http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/child-safety-school-bus-still-best). The states of New York, New Jersey and Florida have laws requiring lap belts on school buses, but most school buses rely on the concept of compartmentalization. This method utilizes heavily padded seats with high seat backs, creating a compartment that protects kids in a crash. Compartmentalization fails to protect kids in situation where a bus tilts over, or kids are out of their seats. More information is needed to know how best to protect school age children in transit.

City and Tour Bus Accidents

At least one hundred and thirty seven bus crash related fatalities occur in the US each year, and many more injuries. However, it is difficult to determine how safe city and tour buses are as accidents involving these types of vehicles are drastically underreported. It is in the interest of bus manufacturers and bus companies to keep statistics as much in their favor as possible. What we do know for sure about bus accidents is that the risk of injury is greater. Much like plane accidents, a bus accident results in multiple injuries because of the number of people involved. Buses usually do not have seatbelts, leaving people inside unrestrained in the event of an accident. Having an elderly or inexperienced bus driver has been shown to significantly increase the risk of an accident. As when driving any other form of motor vehicle, bus drivers should refrain from alcohol consumption and be sure to not drive when excessively drowsy or otherwise inebriated.
Jacksonville, FL

Carla Blissitt, 40, Naomi James, 65, killed, Joseph Pickett, 70, 4 students, 2 other adults injured, after a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of Dunn Avenue and New Kings Road in Jacksonville, Florida

Accident Date: 
Thu, 04/10/2014
Two people are dead following a chain-reaction crash involving a school bus. The crash happened on Dunn Avenue and New Kings Road. The Florida Highway Patrol said a school bus with 14 students from Dinsmore Elementary School stopped with its lights flashing, dropping kids off.
Chico-Redding, CA

10 people killed, including FedEx driver Tim Evans, dozens injured, after a tour bus, filled with high school students on their way to visit Humboldt State, collides with FedEx tractor-trailer, after it crossed the median on I-5 near Orland.

Accident Date: 
Wed, 04/09/2014

Authorities were trying to determine Friday why a FedEx truck roared across the grassy median of a Northern California freeway and slammed into a charter bus, causing a fiery explosion that left 10 people dead and dozens more injured. The National Transportation Safety Board sent an investigative

Hartford & New Haven, CT

4 Betsy Ross Magnet School students, their bus driver and driver Darren Ford, 42, injured after a car collides with the school bus while picking up a student on Highland Avenue in Wallingford, Connecticut

Accident Date: 
Wed, 04/09/2014
Six people were taken to the hospital after a car struck a school bus on Highland Avenue in Wallingford this morning. Three students from the Betsy Ross Magnet School were on the bus in the area of 75 Highland Avenue when it was hit, according to police.