CHICAGO – According to a recently released study, approximately 17,000 U.S. children are hospitalized each year due to school bus incidents.
That number is more than twice the amount previously estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Unlike the NHTSA figure, which only tabulates injuries resulting from crashes, the new estimate includes slips and falls, injuries from roughhousing and injuries sustained when a bus makes a sudden stop or turn.
Forty-two percent of injuries are sustained due to crashes. Nearly a quarter of the injuries occur while students are boarding or exiting buses. Injuries include broken bones, sprains and cuts. Most, however, do not require hospitalization. Additionally, most of these injuries occurred in children between the ages of 10 and 14.
The study’s full results can be found in the November issue of Pediatrics.
It bolsters the beliefs of many that all school buses should have seatbelts.
