Fatal Bus Accidents in Indiana
More than 700 fatal road collisions occurred in Indiana in 2014. The bad news is that more than 24,800 traffic accidents were related to speeding – an increase of the staggering 33 percent on an annual basis.
The situation is somewhat different when it comes to fatalities in the field of bus transportation. Licensing requirements, bus inspections, and driver training all contribute to buses being much safer than other kinds of vehicles. The number of deaths caused by bus crashes in Indiana is relatively low in comparison to numbers for other vehicle types.
Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
The newest Indiana official crash report that features segmentation by vehicle is for 2012. Indiana Crash Facts is an annual review that highlights the kinds of vehicles involved in serious crashes, as well as the severity of the collisions.
In 2012, buses were involved in 1,628 collisions or 0.5 of all the crashes that occurred. The fatal collisions were only three, representing 0.3 percent of overall fatalities on the road. Collisions causing serious injuries included 26, and the ones that led to minor injuries were 193.
Of all the vehicles, passenger cars were the ones that caused the biggest number of collisions on the road. There were 198,985 crashes of which 509 had a fatal outcome.
In 2011, the situation was more or less the same. Buses were involved in 1,908 traffic accidents, representing 0.6 percent of all collisions. They caused the death of seven people and 19 severe injuries.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) data is a bit more thorough, especially when it comes to buses involved in deadly collisions. Here’s the report for the period from 2015 to 2017:
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buses involved | 335 | 393 | 100 |
| Number of Crashes | 334 | 390 | 100 |
| Fatalities | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| Injuries | 380 | 376 | 73 |
The figures aren’t that much different from statistics for a previous period. In 2013, four deadly crashes occurred, and these caused the death of six people. In 2014, both the collisions and the fatalities were six.
Contributing Factors
Speeding is one of the most common causes of fatal crashes in Indiana. Speeding was a contributing factor in 5.5 percent of all vehicle crashes. The percentage was highest in the case of motorcycles (10.4 percent) and the lowest in buses – only 1.3 percent.
Other primary collision factors have included the following:
- Failure to yield right of way
- Following too closely another vehicle
- Improper turning or unsafe backing
- Speeding and failure to account for the specific weather conditions
- Use of the wrong lane
- Driver distraction
- Improper passing
Newest Accidents
One of the newest deadly accidents occurred in July 2017. Three people from Greenwood were killed in an accident that involved five vehicles, one of which – a bus.
The accident occurred close to the intersection of Business 37 and Bayles Road in Bloomington, Indiana. A Greyhound passenger bus hit a van at the intersection, killing three of the passengers in the smaller vehicle on the spot. Three other vehicles eventually collided in the original two, as well.
According to investigators, the accident occurred in the area of a construction site. The bus driver didn’t account for these factors and was driving at full speed.