0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95

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)

School Buses

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

“Serving the Highway Safety Community by the Numbers”

“An average of 41

school-age children

die in school bus

related traffic crashes

each year—11 school

bus occupants and 30

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

Crashes, by Age, 1983-1993

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

buses.

Traffic Safety Facts 1993 

U.S. Department of Transportation

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

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 1983 there have been about 430,000 fatal traffic crashes. Less than 0.4

percent were classified as school bus related. School bus-type vehicles were

involved in 90 percent of those school bus-related crashes. Vans and transit

or other buses providing school-related group transportation accounted for

the other 10 percent.

Since 1983, 1,572 people have died in school bus-related crashes—an

average of 143 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives in

those crashes (59 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved.

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

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

2 percent, passengers 9 percent).

Since 1983, 327 school-age pedestrians (less than 19 years old) have died in

school bus-related crashes. Two-thirds (65 percent) were killed by school

buses, 5 percent by vehicles functioning as school buses, and 30 percent by

other vehicles involved in the crashes. Half of all school-age pedestrians

killed in school bus-related crashes were between the ages of 5 and 7.
2 Traffic Safety Facts 1993 — School Buses

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

“From 1983 to 1993,

half of all schoolage pedestrians

killed in school bus

related crashes were

5 to 7 years old.”

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 17 6 23

7:00-7:59 AM 40 40 80

8:00-8:59 AM 13 28 41

9:00-9:59 AM 4 3 7

10:00-10:59 AM 5 0 5

11:00-11:59 AM 4 10 14

12:00-12:59 PM 5 11 16

1:00-1:59 PM 5 5 10

2:00-2:59 PM 16 41 57

3:00-3:59 PM 45 141 186

4:00-4:59 PM 5 36 41

5:00-11:59 PM 20 6 26

Total 179 327 506

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

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

1983-1993

On average, 21 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or

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.

“Inattention” and “failure to yield” were the factors most often reported by

police for school bus drivers striking a school-age pedestrian. For drivers of

other vehicles killing a pedestrian in a school bus-related crash, the factors

most often cited were “failure to obey signs, safety zones, or warning signs

on vehicles,” “passing where prohibited,” and “driving too fast.”

Between 1983 and 1993, 100 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 (52 percent) involved another vehicle. In the 48

single-vehicle crashes, 69 occupants—17 drivers and 52 passengers—were

killed. In the 52 multiple-vehicle crashes, 16 drivers and 94 passengers died.

In the 48 single-vehicle crashes, the first harmful events were as follows:

striking a fixed object (28 crashes), the vehicle overturning (8 crashes), a

person falling from the vehicle (8 crashes), the vehicle colliding with a train

(3 crashes), and other noncollision (1 crash).

In 44 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.
Traffic Safety Facts 1993 — School Buses 3

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

“Impacts to the front

of the vehicle occur in

44 percent of

fatal school bus

related crashes.”

Principal Impact

Point

on Bus

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 16 28 28 68 44 96

Right Side 6 6 9 14 15 20

Left Side 2 3 7 10 9 13

Rear 2 2 6 10 8 12

Top 3 8 2 8 5 16

Undercarriage 1 1 0 0 11

Noncollision 16 19 0 0 16 19

Unknown 2 2 0 0 22

Total 48 69 52 110 100 179

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

Principal Impact Point on School Bus Vehicle, 1983-1993

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 80 10 58 148

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 3 1 3 7

Starting in Traffic Lane 89 2 0 91

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 23 23

Leaving a Parked Position 10 2 0 12

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

Pedestrian, Object, Other Vehicle, etc. 0 0 77

Turning Right 11 0 0 11

Turning Left 9 0 0 9

Backing Up (Other Than for Parking) 5 1 0 6

Negotiating a Curve 1 0 5 6

Entering Parked Position 1 0 0 1

Changing Lanes 1 0 1 2

Other/Unknown 2 1 1 4

 Total School-Age Pedestrians Killed 212 17 98 327

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

Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1983-1993

Since 1983, 4 drivers and 35 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.
4 Traffic Safety Facts 1993 — School Buses

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

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

1983 1 9 3 7 1 2 0 0 2 11 3 7

1984 3 4 *3 15 1 1 2 2 4 5 5 17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1992 3 3 4 4 2 3 0 0 5 6 4 4

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

Total 30 47 44 102 18 22 8 8 48 69 52 110

 * Includes one crash with 9 occupant fatalities.

** Includes one crash with 21 occupant fatalities.

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

Table 4. School Bus-Related Crashes Involving Occupant Fatalities, 1983-1993

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

1983 2 16 18 36 12 48 6 88 160

1984 5 17 22 28 11 39 5 96 162

1985 2 22 24 28 13 41 4 89 158

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

Total 33 146 179 305 115 420 43 930 1,572

Average 3 13 16 28 10 38 4 85 143

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

Table 5. Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes, 1983-1993

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. To report a safety-related

problem or to inquire about motor vehicle safety information, contact the Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

“Serving the Highway Safety Community by the Numbers”