Massachusetts Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
Massachusetts reported a total of 25 fatalities for large trucks and buses in 2015, according to a report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These fatalities occurred in 24 accidents, which is down from the 27 deaths in 26 accidents for 2014. A total of 27 large vehicles were involved, which was the same number as the year before. Eight of the accidents involved a single vehicle while the other 16 were multiple-vehicle accidents. According to statistics, the majority of crashes involving large trucks and buses are two-vehicle accidents.
Massachusetts has a low fatality rate per million people compared to the national average. In 2015, the rate was 3.53 for the state as opposed to 11.19 for the US. However, this number is up slightly from the state rate in 2010, when it was 2.90.
A bus is defined as a vehicle that can carry at least eight passengers along with the driver. This may include school buses, intercity, and transport buses and even van-buses. The number of these vehicles on roadways has continued to climb over the decades. In 1975, there were just above 460,000 buses registered, which has increased to more than 870,000 in 2014. At the same time, the number of deaths per million miles driven has dropped from 5.75 to 1.77.
The majority of large vehicle accidents occurred in the middle of the state with two counties in Massachusetts reporting more than five deaths for 2015. Other counties reported between one and five. Worcester County had a total of seven fatalities for 2015, which was an increased from the five reported in 2014. The number had continued to climb since 2012 when there were three reported. Middlesex County also reported seven with a slight increase from six the year before. Like Worcester, the number had continued to increase for Middlesex since 2012 when just one was reported.