South Dakota Fatal Bus Accident Statistics
South Dakota reported just 13 fatalities from large truck and bus accidents in 2015. This is a significant drop from the 21 reported just one year earlier. In fact, it is the lowest total since 2011 which had 12. This information comes from a report by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
These deaths resulted from 13 fatal accidents involving 13 large vehicles. Two of the accidents involved just the one vehicle, and the rest were multiple-vehicle accidents.
A bus is defined as any vehicle that can carry eight or more passengers, not counting the driver. This may include intercity and transport buses as well as school buses and van-buses.
Though South Dakota has a low number of fatal bus crashes, the rate of deaths involving large vehicles per one million people is higher than the national average. The state’s rate is 15.14 compared to 11.19 for the nation. This number is a significant drop from 23.34 reported in 2010. While the population has increased by around 40,000, the main difference comes from fewer crashes.
According to the national study, most large truck and bus fatal accidents occur during weekdays on dry pavement. Most occur on rural roads with the vehicle traveling between 50 and 55 mph.
Nine counties in South Dakota reported a large vehicle fatality in 2015. Most of the counties were on the eastern side of the state with two in the west and one in the north part of the state.
For the north, Walworth County had one fatality while Pennington and Meade counties each had one on the western side of the state. Meade County had a significant decline from the five reported in 2014. Lincoln and Moody counties are two on the eastern part of the state with one fatality apiece. For Lincoln, it was an increase, but Moody showed a decline from the prior year.