NHTSA Updates School Transportation Fatality Data

An average of 30 school-age children die in school transportation-related crashes each year, according to recently released federal data.

About 17% of the children killed in these crashes are occupants of school transportation vehicles. Nearly half (43%) of the fatalities are occupants of other vehicles.

The findings are drawn from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) May 2016 edition of School Transportation-Related Crashes.

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.

The new report shows that from 2005 to 2014, 304 school-age children were killed in school transportation-related crashes. Of those, 53 were occupants of school transportation vehicles, 130 were occupants of other vehicles, 111 were pedestrians, nine were pedal-cyclists, and one was classified as an “other nonoccupant.”

The report also puts the school transportation-related crash data in the context of overall vehicle crashes: From 2005 to 2014, there were 331,730 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes. Of those, 1,191 (0.36%) were classified as school transportation-related.

To view the full report from NHTSA, go here.