Florida Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
Florida reported 225 deaths involving large trucks and buses for the year 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This is a significant increase over 2014, which had 190. In fact, this number is the highest since 2008, which had 264.
There were 197 crashes involving buses and big rigs for 2015, also up from 2014 with 168. A total of 215 large vehicles were involved in these accidents. Of these accidents, 39 involved one vehicle. The other 158 were multiple-vehicle accidents. Studies show that most accidents involving these large vehicles are two-vehicle accidents.
A bus is defined as any vehicle that carries nine or more passengers, which also includes the driver. They may be school buses, intercity transport buses, van-buses or other vehicles. The report from FMCSA shows that almost all accidents happen in non-work zones. The majority of accidents occur during the day on weekdays with the large vehicle traveling between 50 and 55 mph. The weather is most often clear with dry pavement. Sixty prevent of these accidents happen on rural roads.
Florida has a rate of 9.72 per one million population, which is below the national average of 11.19. It is up slightly from 2010 when it was 9.04. Overall, these types of accidents have gone down even as more of them are registered and on the road. The number of buses registered has increased from 462,156 in 1975 to 872,027 in 2014.
Almost all counties in Florida reported at least one fatality in large truck/bus related accidents in 2015. Several counties had more than six deaths and two counties exceeded 16 fatalities for the year. Broward County reported 16 for 2015, which was an increase over the prior year. Polk County reported 17, which was up slightly from 2014.