Fatal Bus Accidents in Arkansas
Arkansas State Police and the US Department of Transportation maintain thorough records about fatal bus crashes. Just like many other states, Arkansas sees a relatively small percentage of fatalities caused by the collisions of either public or private transportation.
Fatal Crashes: An Overview
State police data for 2011 suggests that 59,076 vehicle crashes occurred on all roads, a number that represents a decrease of 3.1 percent on an annual basis. Of all the crashes, 509 had a lethal outcome. The state’s fatality rate has been estimated at 1.7 fatalities per 100 MVM (million vehicle miles).
The number of overall fatal crashes has gone down since 2004 –a peak year during which 626 collisions caused death on the road.
Bus crashes represent a very small portion of all the collisions that have a lethal outcome. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that such crashes in 2010 were two, which represents 0.3 percent of vehicles involved in fatal collisions. These collisions killed three individuals, totaling 0.5 percent of fatalities.
In addition, there have been 114 non-fatal accidents that caused 103 injuries.
FMCSA Data – 2015 to 2017
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has detailed state reports about the number of collisions that occur each year. Results for the period from 2015 to 2017 have been summarized in the following table:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buses involved | 161 | 141 | 46 |
| Number of Crashes | 160 | 139 | 46 |
| Fatalities | 9 | 2 | 1 |
| Injuries | 161 | 134 | 25 |
FMCSA data for 2013 suggests there was one crash that led to the death of one individual. In 2014, there was one crash and one person killed, as well.
One of the most serious collisions in the state occurred in the winter of 2015. A charter bus crashed on an Arkansas highway, killing six passengers. Three were ejected from the vehicle when the bus slammed into an overpass.
How Does Arkansas Compare to the Other States?
Based on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it’s relatively easy to compare crash reports for different states. How do the Arkansas numbers line up in comparison to fatal crash reports for other parts of the US?
In 2010, there was a total of 249 buses involved in lethal crash throughout the US. The number represents 0.5 percent of traffic accidents that have caused death. The fatalities as a percentage are 0.8 percent. As far as non-fatal collisions go, there have been 12,763 bus accidents in the US that contributed to 15,327 injuries.
Arkansas is one state that sees a relatively low number of deaths resulting from bus accidents. States that have similar rates include Washington, Utah, Oklahoma, Nevada, and Montana. The numbers rank them towards the safest states regarding bus transportation.
The largest total of lethal accidents occurs in states like Florida (28 during 2010), California (25), New York (22) and Texas (21). States like Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Idaho, and Alaska are on the other end of the spectrum with zero fatal impacts reported during the year.