For many parents, the act of seeing their children off to school every day is routine. Each morning, children get on a bus and head to school for the day. At the end of the school day, children get back on the bus and return home. However, every year, children end up in the emergency room—instead of at school or home—when they become victims of school transportation-related accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), since 2001, 1,236 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes have been classified as school transportation-related. An average of 137 fatalities per year are school transportation-related crashes.

Additionally, 123 children under the age of 19 have been killed in school transportation-related crashes since 2001. Twenty-six percent were killed by different vehicles involved in the crashes. Forty percent of the children killed in these school transportation-related accidents were between the ages of 5 and 7. Although many of these accidents may be due to the negligence of a school bus driver or another vehicle’s driver, many children become victims because of a driver’s failure to obey a school bus’s warning lights and stop sign arm as children are boarding or getting off the bus.

Every year, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) conducts a one-day survey across the country to find out how many drivers illegally pass stopped school buses. In 2014, 29 states took part in the survey, including school districts in Connecticut. More than 98,000 school buses nationwide participated. The results of last year’s survey indicated more than 75,966 drivers illegally passing school buses in one day. With the majority of school districts on a 180 day school year schedule, that comes out to more than 13 million vehicle drivers ignoring—or not seeing—the school bus stop arm in an extended position.

The reasons drivers illegally pass school buses include distracted driving, speeding, weather conditions, or driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. When struck by a vehicle, the severity of a child’s injuries is determined by factors including the speed the vehicle was traveling, the size of the vehicle, and at what angle the child is struck.

Studies show that the most common injuries to children who are hit by cars include injures to the head (traumatic brain injuries) and neck, followed by musculoskeletal injuries.

If your child has suffered injuries in an accident caused by a negligent driver, please contact an experienced Westport personal injury attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have for your child’s pain and loss.