School bus crashes are the most devastating kind of accidents, mainly because in a lot of them, children get hurt. There have been enough reports in the news to warrant a countrywide move towards more effective safety precautions. Otherwise, we leave a door open to child and teen injuries, which could have been prevented with a little more foresight.
Seat Belts
Most school buses come without seat belts, because there is still some debate over the wisdom in installing them. What these essentially do is keep kids from getting thrown off their seats, in the event that the bus flips or comes to a sudden halt. However, the argument is that they could also restrain children trying to exit the vehicle in case of emergencies, such as a fire.
The Human Factor
Many accidents on and off the road can be traced back to human error. After the fact, the parties involved have the work of figuring out and agreeing on its true cause, which often takes a long while. For instance, many parents bring complaints about their child’s school bus driver, citing poor driving as something they are not comfortable with.
Countless children report after a crash that the bus was speeding at the time. A good number of bus drivers have previous driving violations that they mask in order to get the job. In short, a person is often liable for causing such an accident, as any good bus accident attorney would tell you.
Injuries Caused
Bus accidents, luckily enough, are not that common as other motor accidents. However, during the times that they do occur, they usually cause serious injuries to the passengers. Most commonly reported are neck injuries and head trauma. Children are likely to get hurt hitting their heads on the metal parts inside the bus, or even on the seats. Some even get thrown hard to the floor, and get injured that way.
Preventing School Bus Crashes
Every possible precaution needs to be taken to ensure school bus accidents do not happen. As your school bus accident lawyer would tell you, school buses are usually run by contracted companies, which are responsible for their regular inspection and maintenance. These companies should also check the driving records in the vehicle, and before that, heavily screen any driver that they hire.
If a parent or teacher spots any problem with these things, they should report it right away. For example, if a parent witnesses the driver driving the bus erratically, they should bring this to the school’s notice, and the latter should take them seriously.