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Safety issues with NYC school buses

On Behalf of | Nov 22, 2017 | Uncategorized |

Nothing is more symbolic of school than a bright yellow bus full of children. Although school buses are a safe mode of transportation, accidents and injuries do still occur. Their lower numbers do not mean they should be dismissed, however.

If your child is involved in an accident on or sustains an injury from a school bus, you need to hire a lawyer to seek financial compensation not only for medical bills, but also from counseling your child may need to heal emotionally from the incident. Common causes of such incidents are as follows:

Irresponsible drivers

Many times, the issue is not with the vehicle, but with the operator. Bus drivers may be distracted, drowsy, drunk or debilitated in another way. Perhaps they may not have gone through enough initial or ongoing training. Negligent driving not only results in vehicular accidents, but also in pedestrian ones. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveal school buses are the leading cause of fatalities and injuries in school-transportation crashes involving child pedestrians.

Improper restraints

If your child is under four years old, state law mandates that he or she be in an approved car seat. Bus drivers must know how to safely install all three types of car seats. Some buses that transport preschoolers have car seats built into them. If they do not undergo routine inspection and maintenance, they can lead to harm instead of offering safety, and the same goes for smaller buses that require the use of seat belts. If seat belts are old, difficult to tighten or not securely attached, they cannot perform their job up to standards.

Defective equipment

Even the most experienced and careful driver cannot prevent all accidents. Some are due to mechanical failure or defective parts, such as brakes, roofs and doors. In this case, both the manufacturer and person responsible for maintenance may be at fault.