Are school buses really the safest vehicles on the road?
School buses are one of the safest vehicles on the road. Even so, parents should talk with their children about school bus safety and the steps they must take to avoid injuries and accidents on school buses. Even though school buses do not have seat belts, the construction of the school bus protects children in the event of an accident.
Are school buses safer than driving your kid to school?
Well, according to the Transportation Research Board, a child is actually 13 times safer in a school bus than in your own family car. And when considering that high-school-aged students would often prefer to drive to school or ride with a friend, it is important to know that children driving to school or riding with other teenage drivers are 44 times more likely to be fatally injured than in a school bus.
Do seat belts make school buses safer?
Yet the NHTSA argues that the addition of three-point seat belts could help make school buses even safer, reducing the average number of lives lost annually in school bus crashes from four to two.
Do school buses need seatbelts?
NHTSA has traditionally held that large school buses do not need seat belts because they are already the safest way for students to travel to school.
What part of a school bus is the safest?
The safest seat in a school bus is generally in the middle, in an aisle seat on the right hand side, between the tires. It's safer if there's a head-on, side and rear-end collision. It is also less bumpy and jarring to the body. In addition, studies show that children are often injured approaching or leaving the bus.
How do you stay safe on a school bus?
School buses are the safest way for students to travel....Behavior on the Bus:Buckle up if seat belts are available.Stay in your seat keeping head, arms and papers inside the bus, and talk quietly.Keep aisles clear of books and bags.
What are the most common types of school bus accidents?
The 3 Different Types of School Bus AccidentsSchool Bus Accidents Involving Other Motor Vehicles. Nearly three-fourths of all school bus accident fatalities involve other motor vehicles. ... Pedestrian Accidents Involving a School Bus. ... School Bus Accidents Involving Bus Occupants.
Why are there no seatbelts on buses?
NHTSA decided the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses is through a concept called “compartmentalization.” This requires that the interior of large buses protect children without them needing to buckle up.
Where is the safest place on a bus?
To find the safest seat on a bus, head for the middle. Choose a row as centrally located as possible and sit on the aisle, choosing the side of the bus farthest from opposing traffic. In America, this means sitting on an aisle seat on the right-hand side of the bus.
Is school bus safe for child?
However, school buses lack the most basic seatbelts that could highly prevent child deaths due to accidents. Moreover, there are no specific criteria to test the physical and mental capability of the bus driver.
What are the odds of a bus crashing?
How likely is a bus crash? There are about 63,000 bus crashes yearly in the United States. This number may seem intimidating, but there are approximately 9 billion bus trips taken per year, which means that each time you board a bus, there is less than 1 percent chance that you will get into a bus accident.
How rare is a bus crash?
Bus accident statistics, for example, are lower than the average statistics for car accidents. Only 24,000 people experience injuries from bus crashes annually in America.
Which form of transportation is the #1 cause of accidental deaths?
Passenger vehiclesPassenger vehicles are by far the most dangerous of the transportation options compared. Over the last 10 years, passenger vehicle death rate per 100,000,000 passenger miles was over 10 times higher than for buses, 17 times higher than for passenger trains, and 1,623 times higher than for scheduled airlines.
Why are school bus roofs white?
A pilot program in North Carolina in the early 1990s tested the theory that a school bus with a white roof would make for a cooler experience for the passengers. The results were profound. The program found white-topped buses had internal temperatures an average of 10 degrees cooler than yellow topped buses.
Are buses safer than cars?
There's no doubt about it: children need a safe way to get to school. And the fact is, school buses are 7x safer than the family car! They are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in avoiding crashes and preventing injury.
Why are buses yellow?
Even when you're looking forward, it's easier to see yellow in your peripheral vision. Scientists say that lateral peripheral vision for detecting the color yellow is 1.24 greater than that of the color red. But even though most school buses are yellow, they're not required to be yellow.
How do you stay safe on a bus?
Keep your head and arms inside the bus window. Keep your feet on the floor and do not extend arms, legs or personal items into the aisle. Wheelchair passengers are advised to use the shoulder restraint when riding. Always wait until the bus has come to a complete stop before leaving your seat and exiting the bus.
How do you survive on a bus?
10 Tips To Help Survive Long Bus JourneysChoose the best seat.Prepare a food bag.Bring tissue or wet wipes!Bring earplugs or a charged iPod.Bring a book or Kindle.Get to know your fellow passengers.Write in your diary.Don't get drunk the night before!More items...•
What are 3 things that are important about school bus safety?
Here are some tips.Before the Bus Arrives. Your child should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives. ... Getting On and Off Safely. ... Always Use Caution Around the Bus.
What should you not do on a school bus?
The 9 Dangerous Things Kids Should Never Do When Taking the School BusNever run to the bus stop if you're late.Never wear clothing with hanging drawstrings or loose straps.Never stand close to the curb while waiting for the bus.Don't walk too close to the front of the bus.More items...•
What color is the Jouley school bus?
The Jouley electric school bus: It’s big, bright yellow…and green, too.
What is Thomas built bus?
But that is just the beginning. Thomas Built’s Type C Saf-T-Liner® C2 school bus features Saf-T-Net construction , including side skirt reinforcement, extended roof bows and a welded header and rafter system to ensure maximum passenger safety. What does this all mean? Pretty much students riding the Saf-T-Liner C2 are enclosed in steel that extends below the floor to provide maximum support and safety.
What was the first electric school bus in Alaska?
Our Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley® electric bus was the first electric school bus to run a route with students in the state of Alaska. To learn more about this experience, we interviewed Gerald “Stretch” Blackard, owner of Tok Transportation in Tok, Alaska.
Why are Thomas buses built?
School buses are built for durability and safety, and they keep getting safer and safer through technology. Thomas Built Buses invests in continuous improvements that make their school buses safer through state-of-the-art technologies and innovations. Some of the more recent safety innovations include:
Why are school buses so safe?
One of the primary reasons school buses are so safe is because they meet 42 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) – that’s more than any other vehicle on the road! One of these safety standards is the use of compartmentalization, which is a unique form of “automatic” passenger protection with high-backed, closely spaced, well-padded, energy-absorbing seating specifically designed to protect children. This engineering concept is among the best safety innovations and is one of the main reasons that school buses are so safe – even without seat belts.
What are the benefits of electric school buses?
One of the many benefits of electric school buses is the opportunity for battery storage and grid balancing. Electric school buses equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities, like the Thomas Built Buses Saf-T-Liner® C2 Jouley® electric school bus, are excellent battery storage units where unused power can be drawn from the school buses back into the energy grid during idle times –…
Is Jouley a green or blue character?
Of course, besides being “green,” kids will discover that Jouley can be any color they can imagine. A variety of scenes, from Jouley hanging out in…
What does yellow flashing light mean on a bus?
Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
How many school bus crashes will there be in 2020?
However, in 2020 there were 398 crashes involving school buses, resulting in 234 injuries and two deaths in North Carolina. To help bring these numbers down, everyone needs to stay alert and understand school bus stop laws.
Is school bus safe?
School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation for students, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Do drivers have to be aware of school buses?
All drivers must not only be aware around school buses, but also know the law of the road.
National and Pennsylvania School Bus Accident Statistics
In Pennsylvania, in 2019, there were 301 crashes involving school buses, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Traffic. In just over half of those crashes, people were injured. People were killed in four of the crashes, but they were all in other vehicles or pedestrians, not people on the school bus.
Liability for School Bus Accidents
If you’re a parent, you expect school bus drivers and drivers in other vehicles that are near school buses to take the greatest care possible to protect the bus’s precious passengers. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
Compensation for School Bus Accident Injuries
If your child was injured while riding a school bus, or if you or a loved one were hurt while a driver or passenger in a vehicle that collided with a school bus, the law gives you the right to seek financial compensation for your or your child’s injuries.
Find a Bus Accident Attorney Near Me
At Raynes & Lawn, we understand how horrifying it is when school buses get into accidents, and children or adults are injured. We are committed to holding negligent defendants accountable for the harm they have caused. Contact us today to set up a free consultation with an experienced bus accident attorney.
