The latest federal data show that about a third of a percent — 0.35%, to be exact — of the fatal traffic accidents from 2003 to 2012 were related to school transportation.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s new edition of School Transportation-Related Crashes, of the 348,253 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes in that 10-year span, 1,222 were classified as school transportation related.

NHTSA defines a school transportation-related crash as one that 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.

From 2003 to 2012, 1,353 people were killed in school transportation-related crashes — an average of 135 fatalities per year. That average is the same as it was in NHTSA’s previous edition of School Transportation-Related Crashes, which covered 2002 to 2011.

A large majority (71%) of those killed in school transportation-related crashes from 2003 to 2012 were occupants of other vehicles. Occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for 8% of the fatalities, and non-occupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 21% of the fatalities.

The new NHTSA report also indicates that, on average, eight school-age pedestrians are killed by school transportation vehicles each year, and four are killed by other vehicles involved in school bus-related crashes.

To view the full report, click here.

About the author
Thomas McMahon

Thomas McMahon

Executive Editor

Thomas had covered the pupil transportation industry with School Bus Fleet since 2002. When he's not writing articles about yellow buses, he enjoys running long distances and making a joyful noise with his guitar.

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