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

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 42

school-age children

die in school busrelated traffic crashes

each year—11 school

bus occupants and 31

pedestrians.”

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

Crashes, by Age, 1984-1994

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

buses.

Traffic Safety Facts 1994 

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 1984 there have been about 428,000 fatal traffic crashes. Less than 0.4

percent were classified as school bus related.

Since 1984, 1,517 people have died in school bus-related crashes—an

average of 138 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 29 percent of the

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

2 percent, passengers 9 percent).

Since 1984, 310 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 1994 — School Buses

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

“From 1984 to 1994,

half of all schoolage pedestrians

killed in school busrelated crashes were

5 to 7 years old.”

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 7 5 12

7:00-7:59 AM 40 36 76

8:00-8:59 AM 13 27 40

9:00-9:59 AM 5 5 10

10:00-10:59 AM 5 0 5

11:00-11:59 AM 4 7 11

12:00-12:59 PM 5 9 14

1:00-1:59 PM 5 4 9

2:00-2:59 PM 16 43 59

3:00-3:59 PM 41 137 178

4:00-4:59 PM 5 32 37

5:00-11:59 PM 18 5 23

Total 164 310 474

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

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

1984-1994

On average, 20 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or

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 44 percent of the fatalities occurring in crashes between 3:00 and 4:00

PM.

Between 1984 and 1994, 97 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 46 singlevehicle crashes, 58 occupants—16 drivers and 42 passengers—were killed.

In the 51 multiple-vehicle crashes, 16 drivers and 90 passengers died. In the

46 single-vehicle crashes, the first harmful events were as follows: striking

a fixed object (27 crashes), the vehicle overturning (7 crashes), a person

falling from the vehicle (8 crashes), the vehicle colliding with a train (3

crashes), and other noncollision (1 crash).

In 43 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 1984, 6 drivers and 36 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.
Traffic Safety Facts 1994 — 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

43 percent of

fatal school busrelated crashes.”

Principal Impact

Point

on Bus

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 15 19 26 63 41 82

Right Side 6 6 10 15 16 21

Left Side 2 3 7 10 9 13

Rear 2 2 6 10 8 12

Top 3 8 2 8 5 16

Undercarriage 1100 1 1

Noncollision 15 17 0 0 15 17

Unknown 2200 2 2

Total 46 58 51 106 97 164

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

Principal Impact Point on School Bus Vehicle, 1984-1994

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 76 11 59 146

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 3 0 2 5

Starting in Traffic Lane 83 2 0 85

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 21 21

Leaving a Parked Position 8 1 0 9

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

Pedestrian, Object, Other Vehicle, etc. 006 6

Turning Right 13 0 0 13

Turning Left 9 0 0 9

Backing Up (Other Than for Parking) 4 1 0 5

Negotiating a Curve 1 0 4 5

Entering Parked Position 1 0 0 1

Changing Lanes 1 0 1 2

Other/Unknown 2 1 0 2

 Total School-Age Pedestrians Killed 201 16 93 310

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

Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1984-1994
4 Traffic Safety Facts 1994 — 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

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

1994 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 2 3

Total 29 38 41 95 17 20 10 11 46 58 51 106

 * 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, 1984-1994

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

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

1994 1 2 3 28 8 36 2 64 105

Total 32 132 164 297 111 408 39 906 1,517

Average 3 12 15 27 10 37 4 82 138

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

Table 5. Fatalities in School Bus-Related Crashes, 1984-1994

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”