Bus Crashworthiness Issues - Highway Special Investigation
Authors: U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Date of Publication: 1999
Sponsoring Agency: U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Performing Organization: U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Report No: SIR-99-04
Abstract:
School bus and motorcoach travel are two of the safest forms of
transportation in the United States. Each year, on average, nine school bus
passengers and four motorcoach passengers are fatally injured in bus crashes,
according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and
motorcoach industry statistics. In comparison, NHTSA statistics show that in
1998 over 41,000 people were fatally injured in highway crashes. Although much
has been done to improve the safety of school buses and motorcoaches over the
years, the safe transportation of bus passengers, especially students and senior
citizens, continues to be a national safety priority. Children and seniors are
predicted to be the fastest growing segments of our society, and these groups
are the primary users of bus transportation. The National Transportation Safety Board initiated this special investigation
to determine whether additional measures should be taken to better protect bus
occupants. It examines school bus and motorcoach crashworthiness issues through
the analysis of 6 school bus and 40 bus accidents and through information
gathered at the Safety Board’s August 12, 1998, public hearing. This special
investigation addresses the following crucial safety issues: •
• Effectiveness of Federal motorcoach bus crashworthiness standards and occupant protection systems;
•
Discrepancies among different Federal bus definitions;•
Deficiencies in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting Systems bus ejection data; and•
Lack of school bus injury data.As a result of this special investigation, the Safety Board makes recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Association of Governors’ Highway Safety Representatives, and the bus manufacturers.
No. of Pages: 152
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