Buses can be dangerous for passengers and other motorists on the road. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s records show that in 2020, a total of 5,125 people lost their lives in crashes involving buses and large trucks.
As you might expect, fatal accidents in Texas accounted for a portion of this total number. However, Texas’s contribution to the total number of bus fatalities may surprise you.
Lone Star State Bus Accident Statistics
If you are looking for recent statistics concerning motor vehicle accidents in Texas, you do not have to look very far. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) maintains these statistics and organizes them in an accessible manner.
Some of the highlights from these statistics include the following:
Total Number of Bus Crashes
According to TxDOT, in 2020, 2,645 bus crashes occurred in Texas. This number included 2,032 commercial bus wrecks and 613 school bus accidents. Crashes in urban areas accounted for 1,819 of the total number of commercial bus wrecks and 394 of the total school bus crashes.
The remainder of the bus accidents happened in rural areas of the state.
The Number of Fatal Bus Crashes Is Surprisingly Low
Although the number of bus crashes may seem shocking, not many resulted in fatalities. TxDOT statistics reveal that 11 bus crashes, including eight commercial and three school bus accidents, resulted in one or more fatalities.
Fatal crashes did not follow the general trend of bus crashes of all types. Fatal bus wrecks generally happened in rural areas: five of the eight commercial bus crashes occurred in a rural area, and two-thirds of the school bus fatality accidents happened in a rural location.
Most Bus Crashes Resulted in No Injuries
Given their large size and number of passengers, one might expect that bus crashes must result in some harm or injury to at least one person. The statistics do not bear this out, however.
Of the more than 2,000 bus crashes in Texas during 2020, over 1,800 of them — 1,398 commercial bus accidents and 472 school bus accidents — resulted in no injuries to any person.
These crashes were most likely to occur in urban areas. A total of 1,246 non-injury commercial bus accidents happened in larger cities. Over half of non-injury school bus crashes — a total of 312 — also occurred in urban areas.
You should not be too surprised to learn that most non-injury bus accidents happen in urban settings. While buses are dangerous in any environment, the speeds at which they travel when driving through urban areas are significantly lower than the speeds they might travel in rural areas.
The greater the speed of a bus at the time of a crash, the greater the chance of severe or fatal injuries.
Injury Bus Accident Statistics
The remainder of bus accidents involved an injury of some type to at least one person involved. Serious injuries happened in 42 commercial bus wrecks and 13 school bus accidents. As was true with non-injury crashes, most collisions resulting in serious injuries occurred in urban environments.
Minor injuries resulted from 174 commercial bus wrecks, 154 of which occurred in urban settings. Additionally, 42 school bus accidents led to minor injuries, with the majority happening in larger cities.
In a total of 460 commercial and school bus accidents, authorities suspected individuals suffered some injury, but no data was available as to the severity of any injuries sustained.
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Summarizing the Texas Bus Accident Data
Bus crashes in Texas account for a small percentage of traffic accidents across the state. Of those crashes that do occur, only a fraction result in death or serious injury. Instead, the statistics show that if you are involved in a bus accident, chances are you may suffer only minor injuries, if any injuries at all.
Contact the Houston Bus Accident Lawyers at Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers For Help
Contact the Houston personal injury law firm of Attorney Brian White Personal Injury Lawyers at (713) 500-5000.
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About the Author Brian White
Brian White earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston and is licensed to practice in Texas. He is a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer.
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