School Bus Accidents: A Rally Cry for Seatbelts
In Arlington, Virginia, two children were killed when their bus was struck by a garbage truck in April of this year. Twenty-six children wearing seat belts in New York when their bus flipped over only suffered minor injuries.
"School buses are old-fashioned, out-dated and don't give children the benefit of current safety techniques," says Alan Ross, president of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety. He says school buses should have seat belts and be redesigned so they are not so top-heavy and prone to rolling over.
According to Michael Martin, executive director of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, some states, such as New York, New Jersey and Florida require new buses to have seat belts. Only New Jersey and Florida require students to use them.
According to a report called The Relative Risks of School Travel, when measured by miles traveled or number of trips, school bus travel is the safest way to get to school. This report was published by produced by the Transportation Research Board.
The most dangerous way to travel to school is teens driving to school — 100 times more deadly than riding a school bus, when measured by miles traveled.
If you or your family member have been seriously injured in an accident you can contact the attorneys at Regan Zambri & Long by clicking here or calling 202-463-3030.
