Bus Dangers That Put You at Risk for a Serious Accident
As cities grow and traffic worsens, being able to forego driving and take a bus seems like a godsend. However, although buses are great for decreasing traffic congestion and pollution—fewer drivers mean fewer cars—they can also be quite dangerous. The sheer size of buses make them a potential hazard to pedestrians and car drivers alike. In fact, the latest (2012) national inquiry by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration verifies that on average 55,000 bus accidents occur every year, resulting in hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injuries.
Dangers Inside and Out
Poor visibility, distractions, and mechanical failure are all issues that can cause a driver to collide with another vehicle or pedestrian. Bus drivers potentially suffer the same risks, but unfortunately, bus accidents come with exponentially greater consequences. Although any traffic accident has the potential to be catastrophic, an accident involving a bus is almost assured to be tragically severe for all involved—both inside and out.
Passengers within the bus are exposed to the following dangers:
- Lack of restraints. Many transit buses are not required to have seat belts or restraints for their passengers, increasing the risk of injury during an accident. It’s important to note that Texas law requires school buses to contain safety restraints, and a new law that will be enforced in 2016 will require safety belts on new coaches and large buses.
- Overcrowding. Most transit buses can comfortably seat 20 to 30 passengers; however, due to the demand for public transportation, many buses carry upwards of 50 passengers at any given time. As a result, passengers are continuously bumping into one another during a smooth ride. Imagine the mayhem and injuries that occur during a collision.
Victims outside the bus can be subject to the following dangers:
- Increased impact forces. The average transit bus weighs anywhere between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds, while passenger cars generally don’t get heavier than 5,000 pounds. As such, a moving bus generates more than four times as much momentum as an automobile. This is especially important to note for pedestrian/bus accidents, which so often prove fatal for the pedestrian.
- Increased blind spot risks. Most cars are roughly 15 feet long and 6 feet tall, with average blind spots of 16 feet (side), 38 feet (rear), and 13 feet (front). However, transit buses can be well over 40 feet long and 10 feet tall, and have blind spots of 50 feet (side), 125 feet (rear), and 20 feet (front). As a result, it is a lot easier for a bus driver not to see nearby vehicles and cause an inadvertent collision.
Pull the Cord to Stop Bus Accident Stress
If you or a loved one has been involved in a bus collision, whether as a passenger, pedestrian, or occupant of another vehicle, you may be entitled to injury compensation. A dedicated lawyer can guide you through each step of the claim process, including helping you to collect documents, reconstruct the scene of the accident, and secure witness statements. We can also guide you to avoid fateful mistakes like trusting your insurance company to give you a fair settlement. Insurance companies are not on your side, and will use every trick in the book to leave you with as little as possible. We believe you deserve more after being injured by another person’s negligence.
Call today at 800-232-3711 and allow us to put a stop to your accident’s injustices. You need more, and we’re here to make sure you get it.