Why are Children Hurt in School Bus Accidents?
Each school day more than 23 million children board school buses and ride to school in the U.S. Parents trust that their children will arrive at school and back home again safely. While state laws require many elementary school children to ride in booster seats and seatbelts while traveling in cars, there are no similar requirements on a school bus. In fact, most school buses do not have seatbelts and children as young as five years old ride unrestrained. Significant injuries can occur on school buses. Typically, school bus accidents happen in one of two ways. First, a bus can be involved in a collision with another vehicle, such as a car, truck or motorcycle. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that the current design of school buses best protects children in front and rear end accidents. Children are much more vulnerable in side impact crashes. Second, children can be seriously injured or killed in school bus accidents that do not involve a colli
