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Crash data trends, federal & state requirements

Based on GAO's analysis of data for 2000-2014, 115 fatal crashes involved a school bus on average each year, which is 0.3% of the 34,835 total fatal motor-vehicle crashes on average each year. 
Based on GAO's analysis of data for 2000 to 2014, 115 fatal crashes involved a school bus on average each year — which is 0.3 percent of the 34,835 total fatal motor-vehicle crashes on average each year. The school-bus driver and school-bus vehicle (e.g., a defect) were cited as contributing factors in 27 percent and less than 1 percent of fatal school-bus crashes, respectively. Seventy-two percent of fatal crashes occurred during home-to-school and school-to-home travel times. Limited national data on school bus crashes exist beyond data on fatal school-bus crashes, but some states have richer data—for example, on the type of bus or whether the operator was a school district or private contractor.

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