NHTSA: School transportation fatalities average 135 per year

Washington – A total of 1,353 people died from school transportation-related crashes between 2003 and 2012 – an average of about 135 fatalities per year, according to a new report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Researchers from NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis analyzed crash fatality data for occupants of vehicles used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, as well as occupants of other vehicles and non-occupants such as pedestrians involved in these crashes.

According to the report, between 2003 and 2012:

• 46 drivers of school transportation vehicles were killed – an average of nearly five per year.
• Most people killed in school transportation-related crashes – 71 percent – were occupants of other vehicles, and 21 percent were not in a vehicle (e.g., pedestrians or bicyclists).
• An average of about 12 school-age pedestrians were killed in a school transportation-related crash per year, with the majority of fatalities occurring between 7 and 8 a.m. and between 3 and 4 p.m.