Riding the school bus can often be a right of passage. A child is old enough and brave enough to climb up the steps, take a seat and join the other kids on their way to school without mom or dad. But what about the buses — are they a safe form of transportation for our children, at any age?

One of the responsibilities of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is establishing federal motor vehicle safety standards. The goal is to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from motor vehicle accidents, including crashes involving school buses.

NHTSA regulations and enforcement have helped to make school buses the safest way for children to travel to and from school. The federal agency now requires new school buses to meet the same safety standards as all other passenger motor vehicles.  These include improved emergency exits, roof structure, seating and fuel systems, and bus body joint integrity.  The newer buses are built with safety as one of their highest priorities and include strict standards for strength, cleanliness and maintenance. Even school bus drivers are required to undergo training in both security and emergency medical response. Drivers are routinely tested for drug and alcohol use to help ensure child safety.

So how safe are school buses compared to all other motor vehicles? School buses are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States.  Here is what NHTSA reports:

• More than 42,000 people are killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. every year.
• There are approximately 450,000 public school buses on the road each year and they travel about 4.3 billion miles.
• School buses transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities annually.
• Each year, an average of 6 school age children who are school bus passengers die in school bus crashes throughout the U.S..
• Approximately 17 fatalities per year involve pedestrians, with about one-third of these resulting from drivers illegally passing a stopped school bus.
• Approximately 450 deaths of school age children are killed in auto accidents during normal school travel hours from teenager is drivers.
• Approximately 184 school age children are killed in auto accidents during normal school travel hours in auto accidents with adult drivers.

It seems clear that, with the improved safety and integrity of school buses and higher training and performance requirements for the school bus drivers, sending your children to school by bus is one of the safest choices.

Tags: accident attorney, accident prevention, motor vehicle accidents, school bus accident, school bus safety