Every year school buses carry 24 million students and travel more than 4 billion miles to provide nearly 9 million student trips. Fatalities on the road are extremely rare, at about 0.2 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. Nevertheless, fatalities do occur and are devastating to the individuals’ families and surrounding communities. The Law Offices of Kevin J. Dolley works with individuals and families to navigate the complicated legal issues relating to school bus accidents.

Seat Belts

Federal law does not require seat belts on most school buses. The rationale is that “compartmentalization,” or the close spacing of seats and thickly padded benches, creates a compartment that protects passengers in a collision and is likely responsible for the relatively low rate of fatalities in school bus crashes. Nevertheless, the occasional school bus accident rekindles the long-running controversy over making seat belts mandatory on all school buses.

Safety Tips

Most child fatalities are the result of being hit by a school bus rather than riding in one. Thus, children and parents should consider the following safety tips:

  • Stay at least 10 feet away until it is time to get on the bus
  • Look to make sure a car is not coming when stepping off the bus
  • Do not linger or play near the bus after leaving
  • Make sure the bus driver sees you before stepping in front of the bus
  • Make sure all cars on the road are stopped before crossing the street

Injuries and fatalities resulting from school bus accidents can be devastating to individuals and families. The Offices of Kevin J. Dolley seeks to remove the physical and financial burdens of injuries through full financial compensation as well as help families obtain a sense of closure.

Free Consultation

To set up a free consultation with Attorney Kevin J. Dolley regarding your school bus accident injury, please call (314) 645-4100 or email kevin@dolleylaw.com. All legal consultations are held strictly confidential.