A recent study looked at the death rate per trips in children 18 years and younger. Among the five transportation-to-school modes measured, the per-mile and per-trip death rates are lowest for school buses. The highest per-trip rate is when a student is riding in a car driven by a teenager or driving a car. The other modes studied were walking, bicycling and rising with adult drivers. One-quarter of school trips are made by school bus. Bicycling is the second most dangerous mode during school hours per trip, largely because of injuries sustained that could have been prevented by wearing a helmet. The school trip safety study is at <http://Gulliver.trb.org/publications/sr/sr269.pdf>. The helmet study is available from "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine" (July 2002). (Author/publisher)
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