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School Bus Safety Measures

Webmaster Note: Chapter 6 of Special Report 222, Improving School Bus Safety, examined and summarized nine safety countermeasures. Excerpts from chapter 6, including three charts, are presented here. Interested parties should contact the Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20418 if they wish to obtain a copy of the publication.
TRB Special Report 222, Improving School Bus Safety, reviewed
several school bus safety measures, seat belts among them.
Altogether the study examined the cost effectiveness, and
live-saving and injury reduction potential of nine safety measures.
The nine measures, and three tables showing the results of the
TRB's safety cost-effectiveness analyses, are presented here.
    • Seat Belts
    • Higher seat backs
    • School bus monitors
    • Crossing control arms
    • Electronic sensors
    • Mechanical sensors
    • Stop signal arms
    • External loud speaker systems
    • Pupil education programs

Table 6-1: Target Populations of
Fatalities and Injuries Addressed

Safety Measures Target Population (Students) Annual
Pupil
Fatalities		 Incapacitating

Non-

incapacitating

Possible
Seat belts(c)
Passengers in Type I buses
10
475
2,375
6,650
Higher seat backs
Passengers
12
475
2,375
6,650
School bus monitors
Passengers and pedestrians
50
637
2,618
7,053
Crossing control arms
Passengers struck by the
fronts of school buses(a)
16
37
57
95
Electronic sensors
Pedestrians stuck by school buses
24
57
85
141
Mechanical sensors
Pedestrians struck by school buses
24
57
85
141
Stop signal arms
Pedestrians struck by other vehicles(b)
5
46
70
115
External loud speaker systems Pedestrians struck by other vehicles
12
105
158
262
Pupil education programs Pedestrians(c)
31
139
209
347

NOTE: The fatalities and injuries shown are estimates from Table 3-10 and Figures 3-9 in Chapter 3.
(a) Approximately two-thirds of all pupil pedestrians killed by school buses are struck by the front of the bus
(SOURCE: Kansas Dept. of Transportation, Bureau of Personnel Services, Safety Education Section and
reprinted in National School Bus Report, March 1998, p. 13). It is assumed that two-thirds of all
pupil pedestrians injured by school buses are struck by the front of the bus.
(b) Stop signal arms are not required in 22 of 50 states (i.e., in 44 percent of the states). Therefore, it is
assumed that 44 percent of all children who are killed or injured when struck by other vehicles could potentially
benefit from the installation and use of stop signal arms.
(c) In an average year, 31 or 36 fatally injured pupil pedestrians are between 5 and 12 years old (i.e., in grades
K through 6), the age group addressed by pupil educaiton programs. It is assumed that 86 percent (31/36) of
all pupil pedestrian injuries are sustained by children in grades K through 6.

Table 6-2: Reductions in Fatalities and Injuries From
an Annual Investment of $1 million per Measure

Safety Measures

Effectiveness

(a)

Lives Saved Injuries Prevented:
Incapacitating		 Injuries Prevented:
Nonincapacitating
Injuries Prevented:
Possible
Seat belts(b)
0-20
0-0.023
0-1.1
0-5.6
0-15.6
Higher seat backs
0-20
0-0.426
0-16.9
0-84.3
0-236.0
School bus monitors
25-75
0.007-0.020
0.1-0.3
0.3-1.0
0.9-2.8
Crossing control arms
5-25
0.052-0.261
0.1-0.6
0.2-0.9
0.3-1.6
Electronic sensors
10-50
0.026-0.131
0.1-0.3
0.1-0.5
0.2-0.8
Mechanical sensors
10-50
0.018-0.092
0-0.2
0.1-0.3
0.1-0.5
Stop signal arms
0-30
0-0.299
0-2.8
0-4.2
0-6.9
External loud speaker systems
0-20
0-0.210
0-1.8
0-2.8
0-4.6
Pupil education programs
0-20
0-0.0459
0-2.1
0-3.1
0-5.1
(a) Percent reduction in deaths and injuries of target populations given in Table 6-1.
(b) Fifty percent use rate assumed.

Table 6-3: Annual Costs for Nationwide Use
and Reductions in Fatalities and Injuries

Safety Measures
Effectiveness(a)
Annual Cost
($ millions)(b)		 Lives Saved Injuries Prevented:
Incapacitating

Injuries Prevented:
Non-incapacitating

Injuries Prevented:
Possible
Seat belts(c)
0-20
43
0-1.0
0-48
0-238
0-665
Higher seat backs
0-20
6
0-2.4
0-95
0-475
0-1,330
School bus monitors
25-75
1,900
12.5-37.5
159-478
655-1,964
1,763-5,290
Crossing control arms
5-25
15
0.8-4.0
2-9
3-14
5-24
Electronic sensors
10-50
91
2.4-12.0
6-29
9-43
14-71
Mechanical sensors
10-50
131
2.4-12.0
6-29
9-43
14-71
Stop signal arms
0-30
5
0-1.5
0-14
0-21
0-35
External loud speaker systems
0-20
11
0-2.4
0-21
0-32
0-52
Pupil education programs
0-20
14
0-6.3
0-28
0-42
0-69

(a) Percent reduction in deaths and injuries of target populations given in Table 6-1.
(b) For stop signal arms, the data in this table assume that 56 percent of the nation's school
bus fleet is already equipped. For other measures, current use is low enough to disregard.
(c) Fifty ppercent use rate assumed.

Source: Improving School Bus Safety, Special Report 222, Chapter 6, pps. 135, 142-143

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