There has been a great deal of concern lately about the safety of Mississippi’s school buses that transport our children to and from school each day. These concerns stem from the fatal Mississippi school bus accident involving an Ackerman High School bus that collided with a tractor-trailer head on, killing three people and injuring thirteen others in February.  The school bus driver was killed along with a teacher who was sitting in back of the driver and a student who was sitting near the front of the school bus.  If your child has been suffered serious injury in a Mississippi school bus accident, our experienced Mississippi school bus accident attorneys diligently represent those injured in Mississippi bus accidents.

Following the school bus accident, all of Mississippi’s public school buses were individually inspected to address school bus safety issues that were involved in this recent tragic Mississippi bus accident. All of the school buses passed inspection, and continued on their routes transporting 450,000 Mississippi students on a daily basis, according to Leonard Swilley, the transportation safety director of the Mississippi Department of Education.

The greatest danger to our children is when they are boarding or disembarking from the school bus, and a passing motorist ignores a stopped bus.  This often results in catastrophic injuries or even fatal pedestrian accidents. Negligence of other drivers poses a threat of serious Mississippi motor vehicle accidents far greater than the school bus.  In fact, the Mississippi legislature is considering a law imposing stiffer punishments for any motorist that injures a child while passing a school bus. The Senate recently passed such a bill, which is now pending further review by the House of Representatives.

There are many safeguards in place intended to keep our children safe.  All Mississippi school bus drivers must have eight hours of training every other year for re-certification to continue driving with 4 hours of training every year.  In addition, Mississippi school buses have many special safety features designed to keep our children safe when they are being transported to and from school each day. The roof of a school bus is curved so that it will be forced to roll onto its side in the event of a rollover. The high seats and narrow aisles keep riders in their compartments preventing them from getting tossed bout in the event of an accident.

If a collision occurs, the riders on a school bus most likely will get thrown into the back of the seat in front of them, which is why the back of each seat is heavily padded. Kenneth Roberts, who is the Director of Transportation for the Tupelo Public school district states,” The back of a seat is almost like an air bag.”

Many school buses do not use seat belts because aggressive students could use them to harm other students if a fight breaks out.  It is also possible that a smaller child could get trapped if they were unable to release the latch quickly in an emergency situation, and the driver could not get to the child.  However, many states have begun examining whether seat belts should be added to school buses, which could be particularly helpful in school bus rollover accidents.

The air vents on the roof and windows can be removed for a quick escape if necessary, and the floor and sides are reinforced to such a degree that a school bus can withstand a significant impact from another vehicle.  School buses are probably one of the safest vehicles on the road today, and will keep the precious cargo they carry, our children, as safe as they possibly can in the event of an accident.

Despite the significant steps taken to keep our children safe in the event of a serious Mississippi school bus accident, the fatal Ackerman high school bus accident makes clear that Mississippi bus accidents are still a real risks to the safety of our children.  If you or someone you love has been involved in a serious Mississippi bus accident or a school bus accident in Jackson or elsewhere in Mississippi, our experienced Mississippi bus accident attorneys are committed to helping those who suffer serious injury resulting form the negligence of others obtain compensation for their injuries.  We offer a free case evaluation so call us today.