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

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 1989 there have been about 411,000 fatal traffic crashes. Of those,

0.31 percent (1,291) were classified as school bus-related.

Since 1989, 1,445 people have died in school bus-related crashes — an

average of 131 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives in

those crashes (65 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved.

Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 25 percent of the

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

2 percent, passengers 8 percent).

Since 1989, 226 school-age pedestrians (less than 19 years old) have died

in school bus-related crashes. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) were killed by

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

29 percent by other vehicles involved in the crashes. More than half of all

school-age pedestrians killed in school bus-related crashes were between

the ages of 5 and 7.

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

DOT HS 809 095

U.S. Department of Transportation

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

Traffic Safety Facts 1999

School Buses

“An average of 29

school-age children

die in school busrelated traffic crashes

each year — 9 school

bus occupants and

21 pedestrians.”

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19+

Age (Years)

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

Number of Fatalities

Occupants Pedestrians

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

Crashes, by Age, 1989-1999
On average, 15 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or

vehicles used as school buses) each year, and 6 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,

1989-1999

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 6 8 14

7:00-7:59 AM 50 27 77

8:00-8:59 AM 14 15 29

9:00-9:59 AM 6 7 13

10:00-10:59 AM 4 0 4

11:00-11:59 AM 1 6 7

12:00-12:59 PM 5 7 12

1:00-1:59 PM 4 5 9

2:00-2:59 PM 11 32 43

3:00-3:59 PM 24 96 120

4:00-4:59 PM 10 20 30

5:00-11:59 PM 6 3 9

Total 141 226 367

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

Between 1989 and 1999, 96 crashes occurred in which at least one

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

More than half of those crashes (53 percent) involved another vehicle.

In the 45 single-vehicle crashes, 58 occupants — 10 drivers and

48 passengers — were killed. In the 51 multiple-vehicle crashes, 20 drivers

and 63 passengers died. In the 45 single-vehicle crashes, the first harmful

events were as follows: striking a fixed object (25 crashes), a person falling

from the vehicle (10 crashes), the vehicle overturning (5 crashes),

the vehicle colliding with a train (3 crashes), and collision with object not

fixed (1 crash).

In 41 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 1989, 5 drivers and 16 passengers have died in school buses

providing transportation for purposes other than school or school-related

activities (churches, civic organizations, etc.). In 1987, one such

multi-vehicle crash resulted in the deaths of 27 occupants, including the

driver.

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

2 Traffic Safety Facts 1999 — School Buses

“From 1989 to 1999,

more than half

of all school-age

pedestrians killed in

school bus-related

crashes were

5 to 7 years old.”
Table 2. Occupant Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes by

Principal Impact Point on School Bus Vehicle, 1989-1999

Principal

Impact Point on

Bus

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 14 17 25 52 39 69

Right Side 6 6 11 16 17 22

Left Side 2 3 11 11 13 14

Rear 4 10 3 3 7 13

Top 2 3 0 0 2 3

Undercarriage 1111 2 2

Noncollision 16 18 0 0 16 18

Total 45 58 51 83 96 141

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

Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1989-1999

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 61 7 45 113

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 7 0 3 10

Starting in Traffic Lane 56 2 1 59

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 8 8

Leaving a Parked Position 5 1 0 6

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

Pedestrian, Object, Other Vehicle, etc. 0 0 4 4

Turning Right 9 0 0 9

Turning Left 5 0 0 5

Backing Up (Other Than for Parking) 2 0 0 2

Negotiating a Curve 2 0 3 5

Entering Parked Position 2 0 0 2

Changing Lanes 0 0 1 1

Other/Unknown 0 1 1 2

Total School-Age Pedestrians Killed 149 11 66 226

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

Traffic Safety Facts 1999 — School Buses 3

“Impacts to the front

of the school bus

occur in 41 percent

of fatal school busrelated crashes.”
Table 4. School Bus-Related Crashes Involving Occupant Fatalities, 1989-1999

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

1989 7 8 5 25 3 3 1 1 10 11 6 26

1990 574400005744

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

1992 334423005644

1993 552522117736

1994 000000340034

1995 283411003934

1996 553322007733

1997 005811111169

1998 124400001244

1999 226600222288

Total 30 40 42 73 15 18 9 10 45 58 51 83

*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, 1989-1999

Year

Occupants of School Bus* Pedestrians

Other

Nonoccupants

Occupants of

Driver Passenger Total Other Vehicle Total

Struck by

School Bus*

Struck by

Other Vehicle Total

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

1997 5 5 10 17 2 19 5 97 131

1998 3 3 6 21 3 24 7 91 128

1999 6 4 10 19 6 25 3 126 164

Total 30 111 141 256 72 328 34 942 1,445

Average 3 10 13 23 7 30 3 86 131

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

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

4 Traffic Safety Facts 1999 — School Buses

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. NCSA information can also be obtained by

telephone or by fax-on-demand 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.