Exploring the Determinants of School Bus Crash Severity

School bus safety is a community concern because parents expect their children to be transported to and from school safely. However, relatively few studies have been devoted to examining the factors contributing to school bus crashes. In this study, a logistic regression model is used to delineate the factors that contribute to school bus collisions from collisions involving other types of buses. As expected, we find significant differences in crash factors arising from differences in exposure and operating characteristics. Surprisingly, we also find that school bus drivers are more likely to commit driving violations or errors than non-school bus drivers.

Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2009

Objective: Studies of school bus crashes have focused on the biomechanics of catastrophic collisions, with very few examining crash incidence. Methods: Crashes in the state of Iowa were examined from January 2002 through December 2005. School bus crashes were identified through the Iowa Crash Data, a comprehensive database of all reported crashes in the State of Iowa. School bus mileage data were provided by the Iowa Department of Education. School bus crash, fatality, and injury rates were calculated and differences in crash and injury characteristics between school buses and other vehicles were examined. Results: The school bus crash, fatality and non-fatal injury rates were 320.7, 0.4 and 13.6 per 100 million bus miles travelled, respectively. School bus crash fatality and injury rates were 3.5 and 5.4 times lower than overall all vehicle crash fatality and injury rates, respectively. Drivers of other vehicles were more likely to have caused the crash than the bus driver (P < 0.001). Conclusions: School buses experience low crash rates, and the majority of crashes do not lead to injury. Buses are among the safest forms of road transportation, and efforts to educate drivers of other vehicles may help reduce crashes with buses.

2008

The Transportation Safety Analysis Division at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) initiated the Buses Involved in Fatal Accidents (BIFA) project in 2000 to collect more detailed information about buses involved in fatal crashes. The BIFA project is supported by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

2000

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2010

2013

The Transportation Research Forum, founded in 1958, is an independent, nonprofit organization of transportation professionals who conduct, use, and benefit from research. Its purpose is to provide an impartial meeting ground for carriers, shippers, government officials, consultants, university researchers, suppliers, and others seeking exchange of information and ideas related to both passenger and freight transportation. More information on the Transportation Research Forum can be found on the Web at www.trforum.org. Disclaimer: The facts, opinions, and conclusions set forth in this article contained herein are those of the author(s) and quotations should be so attributed. They do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of

PLOS ONE

Bus accidents are a serious issue, with high rates of injury and fatality in Thailand. However, no studies have been conducted on the factors affecting bus accident severity in Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted by the Department of Highways, Thailand over the 2010–2019 period. A multinomial logit model was used to evaluate the factors associated with bus accident severity. This model divided accidents into three categories: non-injury, injury, and fatality. The risk factors consisted of three major categories: the bus driver, characteristics of the crash, and environmental characteristics. The results showed that characteristics of the bus driver, the crash, and the environment where the crash occurred all increased the probability of bus accidents causing injury. These three main factors included driving on sloped roads (relative risk ratio [RRR] 3.03, 95% confidence level [CI] 1.73 to 5.30), drowsy driving (RRR 2.60, 95% CI 1.71 to 3.96), and driving in the wrong dir...

Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2003

Traffic crash risk assessments should incorporate appropriate exposure data. However, existing U.S. nationwide crash data sets, the NASS General Estimates System (GES) and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), do not contain information on driver or vehicle exposure. In order to obtain appropriate exposure data, this work estimates vehicle miles driven (VMD) by different drivers using the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS).

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

The purpose of this research is (1) to investigate the relationship between crash severity and the age and gender of the at-fault driver, the socio-economic characteristics of the surrounding environment, and road conditions, and (2) to explain the probability of a bodily injury crash, including fatality, with the alternative being a property damage only crash. In contrast to earlier research that has focused on young and old drivers, age is considered here on its lifetime continuum. A logit model is adopted and the gender and age of the at-fault drivers are part of the independent explanatory variables. The unit of analysis is the individual crash. Since age is a continuous variable, this analysis shows more precisely how age impacts accident severity and identifies when age has little effect. According to the results, the type of vehicle, timing of the crash, type of road and intersection, road condition, regional and locational factors, and socio-economic characteristic have a si...

Objective: E-commerce has increased freight volumes and shifted freight vehicles to local streets and arterials. These changes have caused increasing concern over traffic safety in urban areas, but there has been limited investigation of road safety impacts. To advance understanding of this issue, we examined recent trends in urban freight-related safety in the United States and characteristics of these crashes. Methods: We estimated annual rates of fatal and nonfatal urban freight-related injuries from 2005 through 2015 using data from the NHTSA's Fatal Analysis Reporting System and National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System. We compared trends in fatal and nonfatal urban freight-related injuries, stratified by road type (interstate vs. not), to overall crash injury trends. We used piecewise linear regression models to test trend changes. We examined and compared specific crash and injury characteristics associated with urban freight-involved crashes, compared to other types of crashes, for the most recent year of data analyzed. Results: Though freight and overall crash fatality rates per vehicle mile traveled declined between 2005 and 2009, increases were observed between 2009 and 2015. Fatality rates increased 3% for all vehicle crashes, 17% for urban freight-involved crashes, and 15% for urban freight-involved crashes not occurring on interstates. Nonfatal injury rates for urban freight-involved crashes rose even more rapidly between 2009 and 2015. Nonfatal injury rates for urban freight-involved crashes increased 45%, rates for urban freight-involved crashes not occurring on interstates increased 40%, and overall nonfatal injury rates for all vehicle crashes increased 3% during this time. Of all urban freight-related crashes resulting in nonfatal injury, the proportion occurring on non-interstate roads increased from 17% to 25% between 2005 and 2015, and these crashes were more likely to occur on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., when freight demand is high, than weekends or evenings. Conclusions: Freight-involved injury and fatality rates are rising more rapidly than overall road traffic-related rates, both in all areas and in urban areas. These crashes are also increasingly occurring on local roads and arterials as opposed to interstates. These findings can help policymakers better understand the changing patterns of freight-related safety issues. As freight volumes increase in commercial and residential areas, planners must increasingly consider freight needs and ensure that space is allocated to this function. Additionally, changes to surveillance systems are necessary to better track burden and risk factors associated with these crashes and inform crash prevention efforts.