Yellow school buses are a great American success story with a safety record that is unequaled in the transportation industry. Consider these comparisons per 100,000,000 passenger miles:

Passenger cars0.94 deaths
Scheduled airlines0.06 deaths
Passenger trains0.04 deaths
School buses0.01 deaths

Yet crashes involving school bus crashes always makes news. Fortunately, almost all school bus crashes are minor, and if there are injuries, typically it is the occupants of the other vehicle who are affected.

This fact sheet is intended to held you "get up to speed" quickly if there is a crash or other school bus issue in your area. All information can be used without restriction and should be attributed to the School Bus Information Council, unless noted.

When reporting about school bus incidents, please consider the circumstances carefully. For example, was the bus at fault, or was it struck by another vehicle? Was a child struck getting off the bus because a motorist failed to obey the law and stop for the bus? Were serious injuries avoided because the bus structure provided excellent overall crash protection even under severe circumstances?

Additionally, local school boards often debate issues such as funding for pupil transportation, whether school buses should have lap/shoulder belts, and bus driver training requirements. The fact sheet should provide useful background information for those stories as well.

If you need more information or a quotable national or local expert for a story, please contact us.

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