Millions of parents in the United States kiss their kids goodbye every morning as they climb aboard a school bus to get to class. The yellow buses are a frequent sight on the roads as they ferry children to school and back home on their daily routes.

But, just how safe are the buses carrying America’s kids? As it turns out, they’re pretty safe. The American School Bus Council claims that students are roughly 70 times safer riding to school on the bus when compared to those who travel by car. The reason why school buses are the safest vehicles for transporting children is that this is a highly regulated industry with extremely high safety standards.

In addition to being very visible to others on the road, the buses are manufactured with rollover protection features, high crush standards and protective seats. These safety features are designed not only to avoid collisions but also to protect children from injuries if an accident occurs. There are also rigorously
enforced laws in place that protect kids from lawless drivers when the students get on and off the bus.

All drivers know or should realize that it is illegal to pass stopped school buses while they are picking up and dropping off their riders. No equivalent protections exist for drivers of passenger vehicles who are picking up and dropping off students at school.

There is also congressional oversight of the school bus industry, with 10 separate committees and various federal agencies involved with maintaining high safety and maintenance standards for school buses and their drivers.

But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and it is a sad fact that children can and still do suffer injuries sometimes when their school buses are involved in accidents.

If your child suffered injuries in a school bus accident, as their parent, you must advocate for them to receive financial compensation for their damages and other losses.