During 2024, articles relating to illegal passing and school bus crashes were among the most popular web articles viewed by readers.
Three out of the 10 most-viewed articles reported on students being struck by vehicles, including school buses.
The following countdown of news articles indicates the date of publishing and reader views, according to Google Analytics reports.
10. Arizona School Bus Driver Assaulted, Student’s Mother Charged
(WR, Published on April 24, 2024)
A mother in Arizona was charged with aggravated assault after hitting her daughter’s school bus driver. A video of the incident shows the mother yelling and assaulting the driver. Other parents who were at the bus stop stated that the women complained the bus driver had not stopped in the right location. The woman faced a single count of felony aggravated assault on a school employee.
9. Truck Driver Admitted Cocaine Use Before Fatal Texas School Bus Crash
(News, Published on March 28, 2024)
The driver of a concrete truck that caused a fatal school bus crash in Texas admitted to taking cocaine on three hours of sleep before the incident. The incident resulted in the death of pre-kindergarten student Ulises Rodriguez Montoya. Dash cam footage from the school district showed the incident was caused by the concrete truck veering across the center line and colliding with the bus.
8. 11-year-old Charged in Maine School Bus Incident
(WR, Published on Sept. 25, 2024)
An 11-year-old from Maine was facing charges of terrorizing after authorities were forced to evacuate a school bus due to a threat with a suspicious device. Students had reported witnessing another student showing and talking about a suspicious device and immediately the Maine state police and bomb squad were called. Authorities later confirmed that the suspicious device found in the sixth grader’s home was not an explosive.
7. Blue Bird Announces Standard Lap/Shoulder Seatbelts on All School Buses
(News, Published June 13, 2024)
School bus manufacturer Blue Bird made history as the first OEM to announce lap/shoulder seatbelts as standard safety technology in all its vehicles. Blue Bird, in partnership with IMMI, will begin equipping new school buses with three-point seatbelts for all student passengers.
The company also announced the implementation of other safety improvements such as high-intensity LED lighting on the outside and inside of the bus, high-resolution front and rear cameras, lighted stop-arms and school bus signs, and strobe lights. More standard equipment Blue Bird is touting as the industry’s first technology is the introduction of 4Front, a steering wheel deployed airbag to protect the head and torso of school bus drivers during a crash.
6. Minnesota School Bus Driver Arrested for Alleged DUI
(WR, Published on Sept. 6, 2024)
A Minnesota school bus driver was arrested after he was accused of driving his bus while intoxicated with students on board. The 44-year-old man allegedly blew double the legal limit when tested. He was arrested by authorities for suspicion of second-degree DWI. The incident was under investigation.
5. School Bus Driver, 3 Children Killed in Illinois School Bus Crash
(News, Published on March 12, 2024)
A school bus crash with a semi-trailer in Illinois resulted in five fatalities, three of which were children. The semi-truck driver and the school bus driver were also killed in the crash. Amid the crash, both vehicles were engulfed in flames.
4. Georgia Students Left on School Bus for Hours
(WR, Published on Aug. 19, 2024).
Two Dutchtown Elementary School students were left inside their school bus for hours after they fell asleep. One of the children’s aunt demanded the district recheck the bus after her niece was nowhere to be found after the child was supposed to be dropped off. A driver later showed up with two children who had been left behind on the school bus.
3. New York State Amends School Bus Camera Law Following Court Rulings
(News, Published on May 7, 2024)
An update on the New York State stop-arm camera law closes a loophole that previously let motorists off the hook despite being caught on a camera passing a stopped school bus. Now, the law originally passed in 2019 allowing stop-arm cameras on school buses reportedly includes a “rebuttable presumption” that the vehicle being passed is a school bus and meets all requirements of being such a vehicle. The school bus must have a valid inspection certification, which is required for every New York state school bus, to meet all requirements.
2. 9-year-old Boy Struck by SUV While Waiting for School Bus
(WR, Published on Sept. 9, 2024)
A 9-year-old boy in Florida was seriously injured after being struck by an SUV while waiting for his school bus. Several children had boarded the bus at the time of the incident. The boy was airlifted to a local hospital and then referred to a children’s hospital with several road rash scrapes across his body.
1. Ohio Child Struck by Vehicle While Getting Off School Bus
(WR, Published on May 9, 2024)
A three-way crash in Ohio resulted in a 12-year-old student being struck after exiting his school bus. The child was reportedly thrown through the air, landed in a yard and was flown to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in an unknown condition. Police said neither alcohol nor drugs appeared to play a role in the crash.
