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School Bus Crashes On Highway 97, One Person Injured

An accident involving a school bus near Wells Dam was reported on Monday, news outlets claim. The crash involved two vehicles with only one person suffering minor injuries. 

According to the Washington State Patrol troopers who responded to the scene, the Pateros School District vehicle was traveling south on State Route 97 when the driver made a left turn. Unfortunately, the driver failed to notice a northbound sedan approaching prior to the maneuver. The vehicles collided. 

While the school bus was carrying five children at the time of the collision, none of them suffered any injuries. The driver was also unharmed. The sedan driver, however, was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.  

After the crash, the Pateros School District driver received a citation for Failure to Yield. 

Despite Accidents, School Buses Are Mostly Safe

As the largest public transportation fleet in the country, the U.S. school bus fleet carries 26 million children to and from school safely every day. 

When all factors are considered, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) claims, the school bus is the safest vehicle on the road. In spite of all the safety measures put in place, an average of four to six children die yearly on school transportation vehicles as a result of accidents. 

We are glad that the Highway 97 accident involving the school bus did not lead to injuries. However, we hope that other school bus drivers learn from this accident. 

Help Avoid School Bus Accidents: Do Your Part

In order to help keep children safe, drivers should never try to pass a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading children from behind or from either direction if driving on an undivided road. Drivers must also mind the yellow or red, flashing lights as well as the stop arm. If extended, traffic must respect the sign and stop.

Also, remember to give the vehicle at least ten feet when stopping directly behind it. This will give children enough room to exit safely.

For more information on bus accident prevention, visit our blog regularly.

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