National School Bus Loading & Unloading Surveys

Conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), along with the help of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey is a collection of fatality accident reports provided by state agencies that are responsible for school transportation and/or accident records.* KSDE asks that all states and Washington, D.C., provide data to the agency, and then KSDE compiles it for this survey. Only fatalities involving school children in or around the loading or unloading areas of a school bus are included. This survey is provided annually to the school transportation industry in an effort to raise awareness of the dangers involved in loading and unloading school children. Fatalities — which are caused by a variety of circumstances and errors by passing motorists and school bus drivers — continue to take place. This shows the continuing need for forceful, advanced instruction to school bus drivers and students, as well as the need to increase our efforts to thoroughly inform drivers across the country about the requirements of the school bus stop law. Links to the most recent surveys are below:

* Numbers are only as accurate as the reporting agency that provides them.