A Public Information Fact Sheet on Motor Vehicle and

Traffic Safety Published by the National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration’s National Center for Statistics and

Analysis

A school transportation-related crash is a crash which involves, either

directly or indirectly, a school bus body vehicle, or a non-school bus

functioning as a school bus, transporting children to or from school or

school-related activities.

Since 1992 there have been about 407,000 fatal traffic crashes. Of those,

0.33 percent (1,332) were classified as school transportation-related.

Since 1992, 1,472 people have died in school transportation-related crashes

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

lives in those crashes (69 percent) were occupants of other vehicles

involved. Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for

23 percent of the deaths, and occupants of school transportation vehicles

accounted for 8 percent.

Since 1992, 202 school-age pedestrians (less than 19 years old) have died

in school transportation-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. More than

one-half (52 percent) of all school-age pedestrians killed in school

transportation-related crashes were between the ages of 5 and 7.

Note: Occupant fatalities shown are for occupants of school buses and non-school buses

used as school buses.

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

DOT HS 809 615

U.S. Department of Transportation

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

Traffic Safety Facts 2002

School Transportation-Related Crashes

“An average of 24 schoolage children die in school

transportation-related

traffic crashes each year

— 6 occupants of school

transportation vehicles

and 18 pedestrians.”

0-4

5-7

8-13

14-18

19+

Age Group (Years)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Number of Fatalities (11-Year Total)

Occupants Pedestrians

Figure 1. Total Occupant and Pedestrian Fatalities in School

Transportation-Related Crashes, by Age Group, 1992-2002
On average, 13 school-age pedestrians are killed by school transportation

vehicles (school buses and non-school bus 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 38 percent of the fatalities occurring in crashes between

3:00 and 4:00 PM.

Table 1. Total Fatalities in School Transportation-Related Crashes

by Time of Day, 1992-2002

Time of Day

Occupant

Fatalities*

Pedestrians

(School Age)

Total

Fatalities

12:00-6:59 AM 8 10 18

7:00-7:59 AM 30 29 59

8:00-8:59 AM 17 16 33

9:00-9:59 AM 4 6 10

10:00-10:59 AM 2 0 2

11:00-11:59 AM 0 5 5

12:00-12:59 PM 4 4 8

1:00-1:59 PM 2 5 7

2:00-2:59 PM 13 28 41

3:00-3:59 PM 21 77 98

4:00-4:59 PM 11 18 29

5:00-11:59 PM 6 4 10

11-Year Total 118 202 320

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

Between 1992 and 2002, 92 crashes occurred in which at least one

occupant of a school transportation vehicle died. More than half of those

crashes (53 percent) involved another vehicle. In the 43 single-vehicle

crashes, 57 occupants — 9 drivers and 48 passengers — were killed. In the

49 multiple-vehicle crashes, 26 drivers and 35 passengers died. In the

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

a fixed object (22 crashes), a person falling from the vehicle (9 crashes),

the vehicle overturning (5 crashes), the vehicle colliding with a train

(3 crashes), other non-collision (2 crashes), and collision with object not

fixed (2 crashes).

In 43 percent of all crashes involving fatalities to occupants of a school

transportation, the principal point of impact was the front of the vehicle.

Since 1992, 7 drivers and 15 passengers have died in school bus body

vehicles 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  400 Seventh Street, S.W.  Washington, D.C. 20590

2 Traffic Safety Facts 2002 — School Transportation

“From 1992 to 2002,

more than half

of the school-age

pedestrians killed in

school transportationrelated crashes were

between 5 and 7

years old.”
Table 2. Total Occupant Fatalities in School Transportation-Related

Crashes by Principal Impact Point on School Transportation

Vehicle, 1992-2002

Principal

Impact Point

on School

Transportation

Vehicle

Type of Crash

Single-Vehicle Multiple-Vehicle Total

Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities Crashes Fatalities

Front 13 17 27 34 40 51

Right Side 7 9 9 14 16 23

Left Side 3 4 11 11 14 15

Rear 4 10 1 1 5 11

Top 0 0 0 0 0 0

Undercarriage 0011 1 1

Noncollision 16 17 0 0 16 17

11-Year Total 43 57 49 61 92 118

Table 3. School-Age Pedestrians Killed in School TransportationRelated Crashes by Vehicle Maneuver, 1992-2002

Vehicle Maneuver

Striking Vehicle

School Bus

Body Type

Vehicle

Used as

School Bus

Other

Vehicle Total

Going Straight 59 6 43 108

Slowing or Stopping in Traffic Lane 5 0 1 6

Starting in Traffic Lane 38 3 1 42

Passing or Overtaking Another Vehicle 0 0 9 9

Leaving a Parked Position 4 0 0 4

Maneuvering to Avoid an Animal,

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

Turning Right 7 0 0 7

Turning Left 10 0 0 10

Backing Up (Other Than for Parking) 1 1 0 2

Negotiating a Curve 2 0 3 5

Entering Parked Position 2 0 0 2

Changing Lanes 0 0 2 2

Other/Unknown 0 0 1 1

11-Year Total 128 10 64 202

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

Traffic Safety Facts 2002 — School Transportation 3

“Impacts to the front of

the school transportation

vehicle occur in

40 percent of fatal

school transportationrelated crashes.”

For more information:

Information on school transportation-related traffic fatalities is available from the National Center for Statistics and

Analysis, NPO-121, 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-nrd.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.

Other fact sheets available from the National Center for Statistics and Analysis are Overview, Alcohol, Occupant

Protection, Older Population, Speeding, Children, Young Drivers, Pedestrians, Pedalcyclists, Motorcycles, Large

Trucks, State Traffic Data, and State Alcohol Estimates. Detailed data on motor vehicle traffic crashes are

published annually in Traffic Safety Facts: A Compilation of Motor Vehicle Crash Data from the Fatality Analysis

Reporting System and the General Estimates System.
Table 4. School Transportation-Related Crashes Involving Occupant Fatalities, 1992-2002

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

1992 3 3 4 42 30 0 5 6 4 4

1993 5 5 2 5 2 21 1 7 7 3 6

1994 0 0 0 0 0 03 4 0 0 3 4

1995 2 8 3 4 1 10 0 3 9 3 4

1996 5 5 3 3 2 20 0 7 7 3 3

1997 0 0 5 8 1 11 1 1 1 6 9

1998 1 2 4 4 0 00 0 1 2 4 4

1999 2 2 6 6 0 02 2 2 2 8 8

2000 7 9 6 7 2 2 2 3 9 11 8 10

2001 5 9 6 8 1 1 0 0 6 10 6 8

2002 1 1 1 1 1 10 0 2 2 1 1

Total 31 44 40 50 12 13 9 11 43 57 49 61

Average 3 4 4 51 11 1 4 5 4 6

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

Table 5. Fatalities in School Transportation-Related Crashes, 1992-2002

Year

Occupants of

School Transportation Vehicle* Pedestrians

Other

Nonoccupants

Occupants of

Driver Passenger Total Other Vehicle Total

Struck by

School Vehicle*

Struck by

Other Vehicle Total

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 20 6 26 4 127 167

2000 8 13 21 19 7 26 1 99 147

2001 6 12 18 18 4 22 6 95 141

2002 1 2 3 16 4 20 6 98 127

Total 35 83 118 232 68 300 41 1,013 1,472

Average 3 8 11 21 6 27 4 92 134

*Includes school bus body type and non-school bus used as school bus.

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

4 Traffic Safety Facts 2002 — School Transportation