Missouri Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
Missouri had a total of 106 fatalities from large vehicle accidents in 2015. These deaths occurred in 97 crashes. The totals are an increase from 100 deaths in 85 crashes for 2014. A total of 108 large vehicles were involved, which is also up from 95 reported the year prior. This information comes from a report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Twenty-two of the accidents involved just one vehicle while the other 75 were multiple-vehicle crashes. Studies show that nationwide the majority of large vehicle crashes involve two vehicles.
More buses are registered in recent years than in past decades while the number of fatalities continues to decline. In 1975, it was reported that just over 460,000 buses were registered, and that number has increased to more than 870,000 in 2014. For this same time period, fatality rates per million miles driven have dropped from 5.75 to 1.77.
Missouri reports a fatality rate per million people of 15.94, which is above the national average of 11.19. This number was an increase from 2010 when it was reported to be 12.69.
A bus is considered to be a commercial vehicle capable of carrying at least eight passengers, along with a driver. Vehicles in this category include school buses, intercity, and transit buses, and even van-buses.
Around half of the counties in Missouri reported at least one fatality for 2015, but most of them had fewer than six. Only one county reported a higher number. Jackson County, which includes the Kansas City metropolitan area, reported nine fatalities for the year. This number is down from the ten reported in 2014. The other major metropolitan area of the state, St. Louis County had five, which is steady with the previous years. St. Louis City had just three, which is also consistent from 2014.