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NewsChannel 3 Investigation: School bus crashes in Hampton Roads

Posted at 6:57 PM, Oct 22, 2013
and last updated 2013-10-22 18:57:36-04

When it comes to school bus crashes, the most dangerous place to be is anywhere outside the bus.

Most of the people who lose their lives in school bus accidents are in another car.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, they account for 72 percent of fatalities in school bus crashes nationwide.

That's followed by pedestrians and bicyclists who are hit by school buses.

The number of fatalities involving people actually on buses is much lower at seven percent.

In Hampton Roads it's even less.

According to data from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, no one on a school bus has been killed in crashes over the past five years in the Hampton Roads region.

So how do area cities compare when it comes to the number of crashes?

Virginia Beach has the highest number, according to the DMV.  Last year 56 buses were involved in accidents.

It is double the number of crashes compared to the city with the next highest number -- Newport News.

But Virginia Beach also transports about double the number of students.

Hampton and Portsmouth are next on the list at 14 crashes, followed by Suffolk, Chesapeake and Norfolk.

Seeing one of those crashes isn't what any parent wants to experience, but for students, the U.S. Department of Transportation says it is the safest way to get to school.