Maine Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
Maine reported 11 fatalities from large trucks and buses for 2015, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This number was up from 10 in 2014, and it comes from 10 fatal crashes, which is the same number as the prior year. Ten large vehicles were involved in the accidents, and one was a single-vehicle accident. The other nine crashes involved multiple vehicles. According to the report from FMCSA, the majority of crashes involve two vehicles.
The fatality rate per one million people in Maine was 7.52 in 2015, which is lower than the national average of 11.19. The rate had dropped from 9.79 in 2010. While more buses are on the road today than in the past, there are fewer deaths than before. In 1975, there were just over 462,000 buses registered, but that number increased to 872,000 by 2014. The fatality rate for million miles driven dropped during the same time frame from 5.75 to 1.77.
A bus is defined as a vehicle that carries at least eight passengers along with the driver. It may be a school bus, transit or intercity bus, even a van-bus. Bus accidents nationwide most often occur during daylight hours on weekdays. They happen on rural roadways rather than in intersections or work zones. Because of this, most large vehicles are traveling at 50-55 mph.
About half of the counties in Maine reported zero fatalities in 2015, while the other half had between one and five. The majority of these deaths happened in counties along the northern, eastern and western borders of the state. On the northern side, Aroostook County had two deaths for the year. Washington County, along the east side of the state, also reported two. On the west side, Oxford County had just one for 2015.