Safety

The Safety Benefits of the School Bus

Since 1966, the Federal Government has been involved with mandating regulations to help the school bus protect its precious cargo. Minimum safety standards of school transportation vehicles far exceed those of passenger vehicles. The result is a design that is better able to avoid crash and injury than the family car.

Today’s school buses are tougher, cleaner and more diligently maintained than ever before. Their flashing red lights, size and color make them highly visible to all who share the road with them. Protective seating, crush and rollover standards help to reduce and avoid injury in case of a crash. Stop sign arms remind drivers that it is illegal to pass the school bus as it drops off and picks up passengers. And school bus drivers are screened and well-trained in keeping children safe.

These are just some of the many reasons why the school bus is a safer ride than other methods of transportation. As new technologies, standards and safety features are developed, the safety of the iconic yellow school bus will only improve.

Reports and Articles

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November 2, 2018

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Press Release: NHTSA Urges Motorists to Drive Safely Near School Zones and Bus Stops

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January 2017

U.S. Government Accountability Office
On average, 0.3 percent of the 34,835 total fatal motor-vehicle crashes annual involved a school bus.

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2002

Transportation Research Board
Special Report 269 Transportation Research Board, “The Relative Risks of School Travel: A National Perspective and Guidance for Local Community Risk Assessment

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