School Bus Accident Accountability

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in School Bus Accidents

Although statistics show school buses to be relatively safe modes of transportation compared to other kinds of vehicles, the area around them is not always so safe. In fact, the zones surrounding our children’s buses are often the sites of tragic school bus accident injuries and fatalities.  While child passenger fatalities are rare (the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that an average of six school-age children die as passengers each year), accidents that are related to school transportation, in general, are still significant in number. School Bus Crashes Affect More than Just Bus Passengers Children riding our community school buses are not the only ones injured by bus-related collisions. More recent crash data from the NHTSA shows that 8 percent of the 134 people who die annually due to school-bus-related incidences are riding in the buses, while pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers represent 21 percent of the overall related fatalities. This means those walking, biking, and driving around bus zone areas are at risk everyday when commuting on our Illinois roadways. The Proper Way to Navigate School Bus Zones When navigating around school buses, drivers must abide by certain laws set forth by the state. The Illinois State Police remind us of the following:

• When a school bus has its stop signal arm extended and is in the process of loading or unloading children, it is unlawful to pass the bus.
• When the stop signal arm is extended, your vehicle must come to a complete stop before passing from either direction - simply slowing down is not enough.
• The only exception that allows drivers permission to continue driving when approaching a school bus is when they are operating their vehicle on a highway with four or more lanes, where there are at least two lanes of traffic in either direction.
• If you are driving in the opposite direction of the bus, the requirement to stop does not apply.
• In general, be alert and cautious when approaching a bus. Children often play and congregate along the edges of the sidewalks surrounding the bus and near or on the street. As you roll to a stop, the moments you approach the bus from the side or from behind are critical.

Under Illinois law, a person's license can be suspended from three months to one year if they pass a stopped school bus, and they can also be fined anywhere from $100 to $500 if convicted. If you or your child has been injured in a school-bus related collision in the state of Illinois, make sure you speak with a knowledgeable Lake County car accident attorney today to ensure you are armed with the resources you need to properly defend your case in a court of law. Call Salvi & Maher, LLP at 847-662-3303 for a special consultation.

Sources:

http://www.isp.state.il.us/media/pressdetails.cfm?ID=15

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-buses

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/15/school-bus-safety-statistics/72318198/