The aim of this study in 1999-2000 was to establish the extent of the problem of child pedestrian casualties related to the bus journey to or from school and to examine any patterns that would help inform the Scottish Road Safety Campaign on the circumstances of such accidents and assist in campaigns designed to reduce child pedestrian casualties. The main findings indicated that a small but significant proportion of accidents involved a bus either as a hitting vehicle or as a vehicle present at the location of the accident. In these accidents 4 children were killed and 53 were seriously injured. One hundred and eleven children were slightly injured. Children in the age group 11- 14, particularly boys, were most vulnerable. The majority of casualties occurred on the journey home from school as children alighted from buses at the non-school end of the journey. Most children were running at the time of the accident. It is suggested that this age group is the one most difficult to influence the behaviour of. Changes to bus routes to minimise road crossing are also suggested. (Author/publisher)
Abstract