17,000 Kids Hurt on School Bus Each Year

November 6, 2006

New studies recently released show that school bus-related accidents in the U.S. send nearly 17,000 children to emergency rooms each year. That number is more than double the number of previous estimates. Nearly 25% of the accidents occur at the time that children board or leave the bus, while bus crashes account for 42% of injuries.  Slips and fall accidents on buses, getting “tossed around” when buses break or make sudden turns, and injuries from roughhousing are among the other ways children get injured while riding a bus. The range of injuries run from lacerations and sprains to broken bones and (though not common) serious injuries and death. Even thought the amount of injuries is much higher than previously thought, they represent a small portion of the more than 23 million children who ride on school buses each year in America. The study gives a strong argument for requiring children to wear seat belts while riding to reduce the amount of these injuries. However, previous reports have recommended against the use of seat belts on school buses as they can be risky to small children since the restraints may cause potential injuries to their abdominal areas during a crash.  According to the National Coalition for School Bus Safety, California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York have implemented varying safety belt requirements for school buses.