Traffic S Tafety Facts 1996

U.S. Department of Transportation

School B Suses National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

A school bus-related crash is a crash which involves, either directly or

“An average of 35

school-age children

die in school busrelated traffic crashes

each year — 9 school

bus occupants and

26 pedestrians.”

indirectly, a school bus-type vehicle, or a vehicle functioning as a school

bus, transporting children to or from school or school-related activities.

Since 1986 there have been about 424,000 fatal traffic crashes. Just over

0.3 percent (1,305) were classified as school bus-related.

Since 1986, 1,458 people have died in school bus-related crashes — an

average of 133 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives

in those crashes (61 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved.

Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 29 percent of

the deaths, and school bus occupants accounted for 10 percent (drivers 2

percent, passengers 8 percent).

Since 1986, 283 school-age pedestrians (less than 19 years old) have died

in school bus-related crashes. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) were killed

by school buses, 5 percent by vehicles functioning as school buses, and

33 percent by other vehicles involved in the crashes. Half of all schoolage pedestrians killed in school bus-related crashes were between the

ages of 5 and 7.

Number of Fatalities

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19+

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

Age

(Years)

Occupants

Pedestrians

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19+

Figure 1. Occupant and Pedestrian Fatalities in School Bus-Related

Crashes, by Age, 1986-1996

Note: Occupant fatalities shown are for occupants of school buses or vehicles used as

school buses.

National Center for Statistics & Analysis Research & Development 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590
2 Traffic Safety Facts 1996 — School Buses

On average, 17 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or

“From 1986 to 1996,

half of all schoolage pedestrians

killed in school busrelated crashes were

5 to 7 years old.”

vehicles used as school buses) each year, and 8 are killed by other

vehicles involved in school bus-related crashes.

More school-age pedestrians are killed in the afternoon than in the

morning, with 42 percent of the fatalities occurring in crashes between

3:00 and 4:00 PM.

Table 1. Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes by Time of Day,

1986-1996

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 5 6 11

7:00-7:59 AM 49 34 83

8:00-8:59 AM 14 21 35

9:00-9:59 AM 5 6 11

10:00-10:59 AM 4 0 4

11:00-11:59 AM 2 6 8

12:00-12:59 PM 4 8 12

1:00-1:59 PM 6 4 10

2:00-2:59 PM 16 43 59

3:00-3:59 PM 25 119 144

4:00-4:59 PM 8 30 38

5:00-11:59 PM 4 6 10

Total 142 283 425

* Does not include occupants of other vehicles in school bus-related crashes.

Between 1986 and 1996, 95 crashes occurred in which at least one

occupant of a school bus or a vehicle functioning as a school bus died.

Half of those crashes (49 percent) involved another vehicle. In the 48

single-vehicle crashes, 60 occupants — 13 drivers and 47 passengers —

were killed. In the 47 multiple-vehicle crashes, 15 drivers and

67 passengers died. In the 48 single-vehicle crashes, the first harmful

events were as follows: striking a fixed object (28 crashes), the vehicle

overturning (6 crashes), a person falling from the vehicle (10 crashes),

the vehicle colliding with a train (2 crashes), collision with object not

fixed (1 crash), and other noncollision (1 crash).

In 40 percent of all crashes involving fatalities to occupants of a school

bus or vehicle used as a school bus, the principal point of impact was the

front of the vehicle.

Since 1986, 7 drivers and 48 passengers have died in school buses

providing transportation for purposes other than school or school-related

activities (churches, civic organizations, etc.). In one such multi-vehicle

crash, 27 occupants, including the driver, died.

National Center for Statistics & Analysis Research & Development 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590
Traffic S Tafety Facts 1996 — School Buses 3

“Impacts to the front

of the school bus

occur in 40 percent

of fatal school busrelated crashes.”

Table 2. Occupant Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes by

Principal Impact Point on School Bus Vehicle, 1986-1996

Principal

Impact Point

on Bus

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 15 18 23 53 38 71

Right Side 6 6 9 14 15 20

Left Side 2 2 9 9 11 11

Rear 3 9 5 5 8 14

Top 2 3 0 0 2 3

Undercarriage 1 1 1 1 2 2

Noncollision 18 20 0 0 18 20

Unknown 1 1 0 0 1 1

Total 48 60 47 82 95 142

Table 3. School-Age Pedestrians Killed in School Bus-Related

Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1986-1996

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 66 9 62 137

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 6 0 3 9

Starting in Traffic Lane 73 2 1 76

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 14 14

Leaving a Parked Position 8 1 0 9

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

Pedestrian, Object, Other Vehicle, etc. 0 0 5 5

Turning Right 10 0 0 10

Turning Left 7 0 0 7

Backing Up (Other Than for Parking) 4 0 0 4

Negotiating a Curve 1 0 5 6

Entering Parked Position 2 0 0 2

Changing Lanes 1 0 1 2

Other/Unknown 0 1 1 2

Total School-Age Pedestrians Killed 178 13 92 283

National Center for Statistics & Analysis Research & Development 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590
4 Traffic Safety Facts 1996 — School Buses

Table 4. School Bus-Related Crashes Involving Occupant Fatalities, 1986-1996

Year

School Bus Body-Type Vehicle Used as School Bus Total

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

1986 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1

1987 0 0 6 11 33 33 33 9 14

1988 2 2 4 5 1 1 0 0 3 3 4 5

1989 7 8 * 5 25 33 11 10 11 6 26

1990 5 7 4 4 00 00 57 4 4

1991 0 0 6 10 4 6 1 1 4 6 7 11

1992 3 3 4 4 23 00 56 4 4

1993 5 5 2 5 22 11 77 3 6

1994 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 4 0 0 3 4

1995 2 8 3 4 11 00 39 3 4

1996 5 5 3 3 22 00 77 3 3

Total 29 38 38 72 19 22 9 10 48 60 47 82

* Includes one crash with 21 occupant fatalities.

Note: Does not include occupants of other vehicles in school bus-related crashes.

Table 5. Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes, 1986-1996

Year

Occupants of School Bus* Pedestrians

Other

Nonoccupants

Occupants

of Other

Driver Passenger Total Vehicle Total

Struck by

School Bus*

Struck by

Other Vehicle Total

1986 2 0 2 31 16 47 6 73 128

1987 8 9 17 32 11 43 5 113 178

1988 2 6 8 19 17 36 6 80 130

1989 4 33 37 25 7 32 1 72 142

1990 4 7 11 32 7 39 1 64 115

1991 2 15 17 21 5 26 5 86 134

1992 1 9 10 21 8 29 2 83 124

1993 1 12 13 32 8 40 2 86 141

1994 2 2 4 28 9 37 2 64 107

1995 0 13 13 24 10 34 4 72 123

1996 2 8 10 16 7 23 2 101 136

Total 28 114 142 281 105 386 36 894 1,458

Average 3 10 13 26 10 35 3 81 133

* Includes school bus body type and vehicle used as school bus.

For more information:

Information on school bus traffic fatalities is available from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis,

NRD-31, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590. Telephone inquiries should be addressed to

Ms. Louann Hall at 1-800-934-8517. FAX messages should be sent to (202) 366-7078. General information on

highway traffic safety can be accessed by Internet users at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa. To report a

safety-related problem or to inquire about motor vehicle safety information, contact the Auto Safety Hotline at

1-800-424-9393.

National Center for Statistics & Analysis Research & Development 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590