Recent survey data shows that illegal school bus passing is on the rise, but another back-to-school issue our nation faces is inattentive drivers endangering public roads. Within the last few days alone, two significant crashes occurred in two Midwestern states that sent upward of 20 people to the hospital.

Wisconsin Crash Injures 8 Students

On Monday morning, Sept. 16, a Random Lake School District bus carrying 36 students in Fredonia, Wis., crashed with an SUV. A Jeep driver reportedly ran a stop sign.

Police arrived on the scene, finding the Jeep on its side in a ditch with significant front-end damage. The school bus also turned on its side after spinning 180 degrees and landing in another ditch.

The school bus driver and two people in the Jeep had minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.

According to a FOX6 Milwaukee report, “The students on the bus were evacuated through the roof and rear emergency exits. Eight students were injured and taken by ambulance to local hospitals and Children’s Wisconsin.”

An investigation is pending, and the Jeep driver will receive a citation for failing to yield at the stop sign.

School Bus Crash in Minnesota Injures 14

Last week, on Thursday, Sept. 12, a vehicle with 21 students on board collided with a school bus in Cherry, Minn. Twelve students and both drivers were sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries after the bus rolled.

The RAV4 driver drove through a stop sign on Highway 5, the Duluth News Tribune reported, and State Patrol is investigating.

A news release stated that when first responders arrived, students were already crawling out of the bus on their own, but the SUV driver was trapped and had to be extricated.

The students were headed to Cherry School, part of the St. Louis County Public Schools.

MINNESOTA SCHOOL BUS CRASH: 12 students, a bus driver, and another driver were all reportedly taken to the hospital. Here's what we know right now: https://t.co/qfZ7bsJH4hpic.twitter.com/cDS91p7COu

— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) September 12, 2024

Unfortunately, it’s the second recent incident in the area. Just a week earlier, a school bus driver was arrested for driving while impaired.