Fatal Bus Accidents in Arizona
Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts annual reports provide thorough information about collisions that result in injuries and death. These annual reports feature a thorough breakdown by vehicle type, making it relatively easy to figure out how often buses are involved in such accidents.
Fatal Bus Accidents: An Overview
In 2016, Arizona saw a total of 247,044 vehicle crashes. Trucks and buses contributed to 11,991 collisions, which represents 4.85 percent of the total number. In total, 279 were fatal, and they caused death in 115 individuals. Additionally, 7357 people were injured.
A commercial or non-commercial bus were participants in 890 collisions or 0.36 percent of all accidents in the state. Seven caused fatal crashes and 195 were involved in injury-causing crashes.
The data for 2015 paints a similar picture. A total of 226,348 vehicles participated in collisions. A total of 12,294 crashes were either with buses or trucks. The number represents 5.43 percent of the overall number of vehicles.
Commercial or non-commercial buses that participated in collisions totaled 798 or 0.35 percent of all – a percentage that’s nearly identical to the one for 2016. Four buses were part of fatal crashes, and 186 participated in injury causing impacts.
FMCSA Statistics
FMCSA data is available for fatal bus accidents in Arizona for the period from 2015 to 2017. The data is more or less the same as what the Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts report suggests:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buses involved | 346 | 291 | 82 |
| Number of Crashes | 343 | 288 | 82 |
| Fatalities | 5 | 10 | 0 |
| Injuries | 23 | 16 | 2 |
Data for 2017 is incomplete because the report is based on statistics for the first few months of the year.
FMCSA’s report for 2013 suggests that three buses were involved in fatal accidents and three people were killed in such collisions. The fatal crashes in 2014 were four, and they contributed to the death of four individuals.
Contributing Factors
It’s important to examine the factors that could have contributed to bus collisions and death to either passengers or drivers. After all, bus drivers are trained professionals, and the vehicles undergo thorough maintenance/inspections to ensure passenger safety.
The annual report for 2016 suggests that alcohol use by the driver cause these bus collisions during the year. The accident didn’t lead any fatalities of passengers.
No collisions that occurred during 2015 involved either alcohol or substance abuse by the driver.
The time of the day (night, day, dawn, dusk) also had an impact on visibility. Thus, most accidents that contributed to either deaths or injuries occurred at night (either on lighted roads or roads featuring no lights). Dusk and dawn have also been identified as dangerous periods due to the changing light conditions.
The condition of the road surface has also been identified as another factor. Wet, muddy, icy, and snow-covered roads can increase the risk of bus accidents that caused either serious injuries or death. The situation is particularly troublesome when alcohol consumption has occurred, and the road surface is in less than an ideal condition. Such circumstances have caused drivers to lose vehicle control and causing a collision.