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.
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