The average lifetime cost for each critically injured survivor of a highway crash is almost 440,000 pounds. But of much more importance to me is the tragic cost in lives that can never be calculated. I am here today, not just as the Chairman of the Safety Board, but also as a traveler, one of America's 180 million drivers, and as a parent. Because I am a parent, it saddens me that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 6 to 14. Despite this high number of child fatalities in all types of highway vehicles, school transportation fatalities do not significantly contribute to these numbers.
School transportation is considered one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States.
However, we at the Safety Board are committed to making the transportation of children safer in all vehicles. In the United States, we have yellow school buses that have an excellent safety record and are required to meet specific safety standards. In 1977, special vehicle safety standards were mandated by the Department of Transportation based on the Safety Board's accident investigations and our resulting safety recommendations. This is truly an outstanding record - and I congratulate you. As you probably know, the United States does not.