School bus accidents in Fairfax, Maryland revive seat belt issue

The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

Three crashes involving school buses in Virginia and Maryland on Wednesday and Thursday left at least 11 students and a police officer injured and claimed the life of the driver that reportedly crashed into a school bus that was not carrying any students at the time.

In a tragic coincidence, an elderly driver also was killed in Massachusetts when the vehicle she was driving hit a school bus carrying 25 students. The crashes raised serious safety concerns. After a school bus flipped on its side in Maryland, a headline blared: “School Bus Not Equipped With Seat Belts In Crash That Injured 9 Students.” In a change of heart, federal regulators are now advocating seat belts on school buses.

On Thursday, four persons were transported to the emergency room, two students and two adults, as a result of the crash involving a school bus on area roads, according to tweets by the Fairfax County Department. Despite the recent spate of school buses crashes on roads across the region this week, school buses remain the safest way to get children to and from school, as AAA Mid-Atlantic is reminding parents.

Click here to view the full article from the Fauquier Times