Virginia Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
There were 70 fatalities involving large trucks and buses in Virginia in 2015. This is a significant decrease from the 90 reported in 2014 and the 89 reported in 2013. These deaths came from 68 fatal crashes in the state for the year, which involved 75 large vehicles. The information is provided in a report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Out of the total number of accidents, 24 of them involved just one vehicle. Nationwide statistics show that most fatal crashes involving a bus or big rig also involve one other vehicle. A bus is defined as any vehicle that carries at least eight passengers and a driver, which may include school buses, transport, and city buses, as well as van-buses.
Virginia has a fatality rate of 8.11 per one million people, which is well below the national average of 11.19. This number is also a slight decrease from 2010, which was 9.00. While the population has increased in that time, the number of fatal accidents have decreased.
According to the FMCSA report, the majority of large vehicle accidents happen on rural roads with vehicles traveling at 50 to 55 mph. Most of them happen during weekdays on dry pavement. Very few occur at intersections or in work zones, two areas where accidents may be expected.
Almost half of the counties in Virginia have reported at least one large-vehicle fatality for 2015. None of them had more than five for the year. Frederick County had three while Loudoun County only had one for 2015. Fairfax County reported two for the year along with Stafford County. All of these are along the eastern side of the state. However, other counties also had similar results. Carroll County, which is located in the western part of the state, also reported two fatalities for the year.