Avoiding a Bus Accident

Scartelli Olszewski P.C.

Avoiding a Bus Accident: What You Need to Know

Tens of millions of people in the United States pay to travel on a passenger bus each year, citing the benefits of not having to drive themselves and saving money on gas. Most people assume that buses are safe because of their sheer size and the fact that they are driven by professional drivers.Traveling on a passenger bus, however, is perhaps the most unsafe form of travel on the roadway. First, unlike passenger cars, most buses lack seat belts. This means that in the event of a sudden stop, sharp turn or crash, passengers become like human projectiles colliding with other objects or persons inside the bus. What may result in minor injuries for a seat-belted passenger in a car becomes a life altering injury on a bus. Second, buses lack airbags which protect passengers from dangerous “second collisions” inside the vehicle. Third, hundreds of fatalities occur each year in rollovers and multi vehicle accidents caused by “professional drivers” driving too fast for conditions.