Are Bus Crashes Becoming More Common in Texas?

Are bus accidents becoming more common in Austin? In October, two school buses and a Jeep collided in southeast Austin. Two people were evaluated for injuries.

According to Austin Independent School District, school bus crashes are happening at a slightly higher rate this year compared to 2016. At this time in the year last year, there were 33 school bus crashes. We’ve already hit 39 this year.

School Bus Accident Rates

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), school buses are the safest vehicles on the road and one of the safest forms of transportation overall. Despite this, accidents do happen and children can suffer injury or die, especially in high-speed side impact crashes or rollovers.

On average, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says that about 134 people die in school bus-related crashes every year. Only 8 percent of those are occupants of the bus. Statistically speaking, children are safer inside school buses once they start to move than they are outside of it. But due to the size of buses, passenger capacity and the close quarters of occupants, it can be difficult to evacuate when things like fires or flooding occurs.

If you have suffered injury or lost a loved one in a school bus accident, our Austin bus accident attorneys can help.