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This time of year can be hectic for parents as they settle their children into a new school year.  With a new school year comes a new set of safety concerns as well.

For the parents of many school children, the bus saves time and offers convenience, but it does not always offer safety. In fact, there were 1,236 fatal school transportation-related crashes from 2001 to 2010, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

NHTSA defines school-related crashes as a crash involving a school bus or a non-school bus functioning as a school bus or transporting children to or from school or school-related activities.

In February 2013, four people were injured and 30 were hospitalized when a Calvary Coach bus carrying a group of Philadelphia area students crashed on its way back to Pennsylvania from Boston.  The driver, was distracted by his GPS, ignored low clearance signs, and crashed into a bridge.

A distracted bus driver can leave dozens of passengers injured.  Bus companies need to be held accountable for their negligent drivers.   A bus accident lawyer can help victims determine eligibility to seek compensation of medical expenses.

One Comment

  1. Gravatar for Brad Watkins
    Brad Watkins

    We read with interest your recent report regarding concerns about bus crashes in PA. Safe transportation of children by schools, whether by school bus or charter is critically important. It is imperative that schools select the safest possible motor carriers used to transport their children. That is the primary reason we developed an independent rating system for motor carriers, to which the end users of buses and trucks can subscribe to find safer carriers. It is currently used by many schools and universities throughout the US, including the NCAA, and it’s free.

    Transportation Safety Exchange (TSX) assesses the relative safety of freight and bus companies by not only monitoring performance but also conducting comprehensive, on site reviews. TSX offers a free subscription to anyone hiring these carriers so they can determine which ones are safer with confidence. TSX provides an independent rating for thousands of truck and bus companies and updates their safety evaluations with new data monthly to identify the safer carriers.

    Many school districts, colleges and universities use TSX Approved bus companies exclusively to transport their students, faculty and staff. The NCAA also requires the use of TSX Approved companies for transportation of student athletes.

    TSX CEO, founder and highway safety advocate, Dr. Jolanda Janczewski, Ph.D., MPH, of Fairfax, VA is available to discuss the TSX rating process and the risk of liability for failing to perform due diligence. This program is based on Dr. Janczewski’s long relationship with a similar service provided to the Department of Defense (Defense Travel Management Office) Military Bus Program. She realized that the public needed the same type of service to identify safer motor carriers.

    We’d love to schedule a time for you to speak with Dr. Janczewski. Please e-mail or call me. For more information on Transportation Safety Exchange, visit www.GetThereSafely.com. If you have specific questions about the program, don’t hesitate to ask.

    We look forward to speaking with you.

    Best regards,

    Brad Watkins

    Program Manager

    571-233-0985 (C)

    800-888-4612 (P)

    703-877-3307 (O)

    703-691-2575 (F)

    Scientific Minds. Common Sense Solutions.

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