Journal of Accident Investigation
Journal of Accident Investigation
Journal of Accident Investigation
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Occupant Safety in Large School Buses:<br />
Crash <strong>Investigation</strong>s, Testing, and Modeling<br />
Kristin M. Poland, National Transportation Safety Board,<br />
Linda McCray, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration<br />
and Aida Barsan-Anelli, Information Systems and Services, Inc.<br />
ABSTRACT<br />
NTSB JOURNAL OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION, SPRING 2006; VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1<br />
School bus travel is one <strong>of</strong> the safest forms <strong>of</strong> transportation on the road today. A<br />
number <strong>of</strong> factors play into this excellent record, including the size and color <strong>of</strong> school buses,<br />
special traffic requirements, and specific safety specifications covering joint strength, ro<strong>of</strong><br />
strength, and occupant protection. This excellent record may be improved further as new<br />
research identifies ways to better protect school bus passengers. This paper summarizes work<br />
accomplished by both the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway<br />
Traffic Safety Administration to address the safety <strong>of</strong> large school buses.<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
School buses are one <strong>of</strong> the safest forms <strong>of</strong> transportation on the road today. The passenger<br />
fatality rate in school buses is 0.2 fatalities per million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), compared<br />
to 1. per million VMT for passenger cars and 1.3 per million VMT for light trucks. 1 Each<br />
year on average, 10 school bus occupants are fatally injured in school bus crashes, and 16<br />
school-age pedestrians are fatally injured by school buses. Students in the United States are<br />
almost eight times safer traveling in a school bus than in another form <strong>of</strong> transportation,<br />
like the parent’s car. These safety statistics are true for a number <strong>of</strong> reasons, including the<br />
school bus’s operating environment, color, joint and ro<strong>of</strong> strength requirements, fuel system<br />
integrity, and compartmentalization. 2<br />
Despite the excellent safety record, research continues to explore ways to ensure the<br />
continued safety <strong>of</strong> school buses and to identify improvements. Since the late 1960s,<br />
1 Federal Register, October 26, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 206), on the National Highway Traffic Safety<br />
Administration’s School Bus Research Plan.<br />
2 Compartmentalization provides a protective envelope consisting <strong>of</strong> strong, closely spaced seats that have<br />
energy-absorbing seat backs. Compartmentalization is regulated under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety<br />
Standard No. 222, and is applicable to all school buses.