Traffic S Tafety Facts 1995

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 38

school-age children

die in school busrelated traffic crashes

each year—10 school

bus occupants and

28 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 1985 there have been about 426,000 fatal traffic crashes. Less than

0.3 percent were classified as school bus-related.

Since 1985, 1,478 people have died in school bus-related crashes—an

average of 134 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives

in those crashes (60 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved.

Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 30 percent of

the deaths, and school bus occupants accounted for 11 percent (drivers

2 percent, passengers 9 percent).

Since 1985, 300 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

32 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.

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

Occupants

Pedestrians

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Number of Fatalities

+

Age

(Years)

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

Crashes, by Age, 1985-1995

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 1995 — School Buses

On average, 19 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or

“From 1985 to 1995,

half of all schoolage pedestrians

killed in school busrelated crashes were

5 to 7 years old.”

vehicles used as school buses) each year, and 9 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 43 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,

1985-1995

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 5 6 11

7:00-7:59 AM 51 37 88

8:00-8:59 AM 13 22 35

9:00-9:59 AM 5 6 11

10:00-10:59 AM 5 0 5

11:00-11:59 AM 2 7 9

12:00-12:59 PM 4 11 15

1:00-1:59 PM 5 4 9

2:00-2:59 PM 17 44 61

3:00-3:59 PM 36 128 164

4:00-4:59 PM 5 30 35

5:00-11:59 PM 8 5 13

Total 156 300 456

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

Between 1985 and 1995, 95 crashes occurred in which at least one

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

The majority of those crashes (53 percent) involved another vehicle.

In the 45 single-vehicle crashes, 62 occupants—14 drivers and 48

passengers—were killed. In the 50 multiple-vehicle crashes, 14 drivers

and 80 passengers died. In the 45 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 (9 crashes), and

the vehicle colliding with a train (2 crashes).

In 42 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 1985, 4 drivers and 41 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 1995 — School Buses 3

“Impacts to the front

of the vehicle occur

in 47 percent of

fatal school busrelated crashes.”

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

Principal Impact Point on School Bus Vehicle, 1985-1995

Principal

Impact Point

on Bus

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 15 19 24 54 39 73

Right Side 5 5 10 15 15 20

Left Side 2 2 7 7 9 9

Rear 3 9 7 11 10 20

Top 3 8 1 6 4 14

Undercarriage 1 1 1 1 2 2

Noncollision 14 16 0 0 14 16

Unknown 2 2 0 0 2 2

Total 45 62 50 94 95 156

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

Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1985-1995

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 74 10 63 147

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 5 0 3 8

Starting in Traffic Lane 79 2 0 81

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 18 18

Leaving a Parked Position 7 1 0 8

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

Pedestrian, Object, Other Vehicle, etc. 0 0 6 6

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 0 1

Total School-Age Pedestrians Killed 190 14 96 300

National Center for Statistics & Analysis Research & Development 400 Seventh Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590
4 Traffic Safety Facts 1995 — School Buses

Table 4. School Bus-Related Crashes Involving Occupant Fatalities, 1985-1995

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

1985 4 9 6 15 0 0 0 0 4 9 6 15

1986 0 0 1 1 11 00 11 1 1

1987 0 0 6 11 3 3 3 3 3 3 9 14

1988 2 2 4 5 11 00 33 4 5

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

1990 5 7 4 4 0 0 0 0 5 7 4 4

1991 0 0 6 10 46 11 46 7 11

1992 3 3 4 4 23 00 56 4 4

1993 5 5 2 5 2 2 1 1 7 7 3 6

1994 0 0 0 0 00 34 00 3 4

1995 2 8 3 4 11 00 39 3 4

Total 28 42 41 84 17 20 9 10 45 62 50 94

* 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, 1985-1995

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

1985 2 22 24 28 13 41 4 89 158

1986 202 31 16 47 6 73 128

1987 8 9 17 32 11 43 5 113 178

1988 268 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 224 28 9 37 2 64 107

1995 0 13 13 23 10 33 4 71 121

Total 28 128 156 292 111 403 38 881 1,478

Average 3 12 14 27 10 37 3 80 134

* 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 (202) 366-4198. 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