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Current crash data for commercial bus crashes

On Behalf of | Aug 25, 2016 | Bus Accidents

Whether people rely on a bus to run errands, get to and from work or to take their children between school and home, these large vehicles are viewed as an efficient way to transport numerous passengers at one time. While many residents in Massachusetts will ride on buses as a regular form of transportation, these vehicles are still subject to the same safety concerns any motor vehicle is. Even more so, the large size of buses and their lack of safety restraints, in most cases, are likely to result in serious injuries for the passengers if a bus crash ensues.

When considering recent statistics on bus accident occurring across the United States, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration compiled crash data from 2014, which is coupled with the data of large trucks, in order to determine an up-to-data rate of collisions involving large commercial vehicles.

Based on the collected data, there was a five percent decrease in fatal crashes involving large trucks and buses from 2013 to 2014. It was also discovered that there was a 33 percent decrease in the number of fatal crashes involving these massive vehicles between the years 2004 and 2009; however, it should be noted that there was a 20 percent increase in fatal crashes between 2009 and 2013.

With regards to injury causing crashes, those involving large trucks or buses have shown a steady decrease from 2004 to 2009, but this decline was followed by an increase of 55 percent from 2009 to 2014. In was discovered that from 2004 to 2014, intercity buses accounted for roughly 13 percent, school buses accounted for 41 percent and transit buses accounted for 33 percent of crashes involving fatalities.

The above data is only a glimpse at the rate of bus crashes occurring across the nation. And while the rates of collisions causing fatalities and injuries have gone up and down over the past decade, it is clear that crashes involving buses of all types still impact passengers.

Therefore, if people or a loved one has been harmed in a bus crash, it is important to understand the facts surrounding the collisions. This means initiating further investigation to determine whether a negligent bus driver or another negligent party was at fault. This could help injured victims place liability on the responsible party, helping them recover compensation for any losses or damages incurred.

Source: Fmcsa.dot.gov, “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts 2014,” accessed August 21, 2016

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