Sharing The Road With Buses: How far behind a school bus should you be?
Even with bus drivers exercising an abundance of caution on the road, 108 people were killed in 2021 as a result of school bus-related crashes according to the National Security Council, 50% more than the reported figures from the preceding year. As lockdown restrictions have completely eased, this issue needs to be addressed now more than ever.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has released a much harrowing look regarding bus accidents. According to them, “the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks or buses increased by 17 percent” in 2021 from 2020. A closer look tells us a much more disturbing tale: in these fatal crashes, 80 were school buses, 78 were transit buses, and 17 were intercity buses.
With less than ideal road conditions, on top of the worsening traffic conditions, it’s apparent that systemic and legislative changes need to be enacted to guarantee public safety on the road. But until then, it is our individual responsibility to keep ourselves as well as others around us safe. Here are five things you can do to mitigate bus accidents from occurring:
Have working horns
If used appropriately, horns are useful tools for road safety.
Having a set of horns that works could help curb bus accidents in various ways. One, it will enable you to honk at bus drivers. While honking on the road has gotten quite the bad rep, sometimes it’s necessary to do it.
It would be appropriate to use your horns, for example, if you need to let the bus driver know that you’re in the lane they’re trying to merge in. In this scenario, you and the bus operator have an incentive to avoid an accident. Therefore, it’d be preferable if you’d just honk at them rather than letting the accident happen.
Have working headlights
Having defective headlights is illegal in the state of California — and for a good reason. For one, it could help you see the road better, especially in the evening. Driving without working headlights could brew disastrous consequences not only for you but for those around you as well.
A bus driver already has limited viewing access to those around them because of the sheer size of the vehicle they’re operating. Driving alongside a driver with defective headlights could only exacerbate the problem they’re already experiencing.
Don’t drink and drive
If you want to avoid a bus accident, you must do your due diligence by not driving under the influence. Driving while inebriated in general could mean bad things under normal circumstances, but most especially if you are driving alongside big and heavy vehicles like a bus. There is an increased chance of you getting into an accident with a bus if you’re driving drunk. Alcohol will blur your judgment and decision making skills. Save yourself from a life-altering injury like a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or amputation by getting behind the wheel sober.
Don’t drive while distracted
This is good advice to follow in general. But with the number of bus accidents occurring yearly, I think it’d be wise to echo this advice once again: focus when you’re driving!!!
When driving alongside a bus driver, you need to be on high alert. A lot of them are working long hours. In all likelihood, you’ll probably encounter a driver who is fatigued from the demands of their job. A lot of bus accidents occur exactly because of this reason, which is why you need to have your guard up. Don’t text and drive, don’t fiddle with your car controls, nothing of the sort!
Have working turn signals
Last and definitely not the least, having working turn signals may potentially prevent a bus accident altogether. Turn signals are necessary to road safety because it’s a medium you’ll use to communicate with the bus driver: if you want to merge lanes, make a right or left turn, or a U-turn, etc. Having defective ones could expose you to a sleuth of life-altering injuries.
Not only that, it also aids in increasing visibility for when it’s extremely dark on the road. This helps not only you in driving, but the bus driver as well. A lot of bus accidents occur because of visibility issues on the bus operator’s side. You not having a working turn signal will make it hard for them to drive as safely as they can.
Call Omega Law Group
No matter the safety precautions you may take in trying to reduce bus accidents, there are still external factors that may cause you to be a victim of one. When that happens, you will need a bus accident expert to help you navigate the complexities of your situation.
There are several factors at play in a bus accident: your insurance coverage, as well as the bus driver’s. Whether or not, it’s a commercial truck who hit you or if it’s for personal use. It’s better to leave it at the hands of bus accident lawyers.
And not just any bus accident lawyers. You will need the best. You will need to call Omega Law Group.
Omega Law Group consists of highly skilled bus accident experts who are relentless in fighting for their clients. Their client-first approach and their personalized legal service has racked up tremendous success for the firm, helping the firm accrue over millions of dollars in total for their clients.
Their work has garnered attention from prestigious publications in the likes of the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Business Journal, making headlines in the latter for their innovative integration of A.I. technology to streamline their case processes.
On top of the accolades they’ve been receiving from Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers it should go without saying: Omega Law Group is the right personal injury law firm for you.
Omega Law Group operates on a contingency-fee basis, meaning, you won’t be burdened with any upfront legal fees for quality legal services. Schedule a free consultation with our elite legal team now to learn more!