What Are the Most Recent Illinois Bus Accident Statistics?

Injuries, Fatalities, And Your Legal Rights After a Bus Accident

Illinois bus accident statistics reveal the dangers of this extremely popular transit option. Thousands of Chicago residents and Illinois families rely on school buses, CTA buses, and intercity transit every day. However, a motor vehicle crash can cause life-changing injuries to passengers, other vehicle occupants, and pedestrians.

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers fights for the rights of bus accident victims, ensuring they are properly compensated for their injuries. We have compiled a list of Illinois-specific statistics, causes of accidents, and resources about your legal options if you have been in a transit or school bus crash. 

School Bus Statistics

Approximately 484,000 yellow school buses transported the country’s children to and from school in the 2022 to 2023 school year. This accounts for more than 25 million students who ride public school buses daily. 

Illinois has approximately 29,000 school buses that transport 2 million students from elementary to high school. In the Chicagoland metropolitan area, these routes serve Chicago Public Schools, suburban schools like District 214, and collar counties like DuPage and Lake County. Some school children may also use Chicago Transit Authority buses instead, especially in inner-city schools. 

School bus accidents are among the most common types of truck crashes, followed by transit buses. Other bus accident types may include cross-country intercity motor coaches or van-based buses.

Illinois Bus Safety Laws

Transit buses are some of the most regulated vehicles on the road, but this does not mean that fatal collisions never occur. 

School buses are required to have flashing lights or a stop arm. Unless the bus stops on a divided highway, drivers in both directions must stop when these are activated. It is illegal to pass or overtake the bus until the lights stop or the driver signals to go. Cook County has the same requirements (§28-328).

In Chicago and throughout the state, every school bus must be visibly marked as a school bus in letters no smaller than eight inches tall (§9-36-050). This removes any potential arguments that the negligent driver did not realize that the vehicle was transporting children. Additionally, the bus must have visual signals that will light up whenever the brakes are applied. 

Those who disobey these laws may be fined up to $1,000 for a second violation and have their driver’s license suspended for up to a year (625 ILCS §5/11-1414). 

In Illinois, school districts are allowed to install bus stop-arm cameras on their fleet to identify drivers who do not stop for buses during loading and unloading (625 ILCS §5/11-208). School districts across Cook County, in coordination with Cook County law enforcement, strenuously enforce these laws with fines and increased surveillance. 

Bus Accident Statistics – How Common Are Bus Injuries?

While fatal collisions are relatively uncommon, serious accidents occur regularly. As many as 15,000 bus accidents occur each year. Of these, around 47% suffer injury, and 1.5% are fatal bus accidents. Illinois is also among the top five states for bus accidents, with 731 bus crashes in 2022.

School transportation vehicles involved in a crash often lead to injured occupants, either those on the school bus or those in a nearby vehicle. Around 17,000 children are treated yearly in a hospital emergency room for a school bus injury. On average, 

School bus safety protocols and features, such as seat belts and padded seat backs, aim to minimize occupant injury. However, severe school bus accidents can still lead to injury to occupants.

Head injuries are among the most common in bus crashes for children under the age of 10. Of all school bus accident victims, strains and sprains are the most common. Children between the ages of 10 and 14 were the most likely to suffer injuries that required medical follow-up.

Multiple parties, including students, may be injured in a bus crash. The bus driver is at a greater risk of injury during a crash. Other drivers and occupants of passenger vehicles, as well as pedestrians, are also at risk of injuries or death when involved in a collision. 

The Most Common Causes of School Bus Accidents

School and public bus crashes can occur for various reasons, with the following being some of the most common:

• Illegal passing: Illegal passing, such as ignoring bus stop signs, is a common cause of child injury. This is more common in crowded areas like downtown Chicago or the near west side. 
• School Drop Off Zones: School bus passengers are most commonly injured when standing in the danger zone, which is the area directly surrounding the school bus. The bus driver can’t see any passengers in this area, meaning they may be run over or dragged by the bus if the driver makes a sudden move. In urban areas like Humboldt Park, Englewood, and Bronzeville, pedestrians may be more likely to enter the danger zone unknowingly. 
• Seat belt malfunction or misuse: Seatbelt use is estimated to influence as many as 42.3% of bus accident injuries. However, research on school bus seatbelt use and functionality is limited.
• A lack of school bus supervision: Children on a school bus are often at an age where they may not correctly use seat belt restraints or stay seated in their seats. School bus drivers must pay attention to the road and also handle any misbehaving pupils. 
• Distracted driving: The NHTSA estimates that as many as 289,310 people were injured in distracted driving accidents in 2023. Distracted driving presents risks for other vehicles on the road and children and passengers riding in public transportation. 
• Driver Error: Around high schools like Taft High School, younger drivers in passenger vehicles may fail to account for a bus’s speed, causing crashes. 
• Driver Fatigue: School bus drivers may have to get up early to start their routes, or they may have second jobs. Other drivers may also suffer from fatigue that contributes to bus crashes. 
• Weather conditions: Slick roads on major highways like I-290 or I-55 can cause fatal crashes, especially as school buses have a high center of gravity and are more prone to rollovers. 

Fatal Crashes in School Buses in Illinois

On average, 33 school children die each year due to fatal crashes involving a school bus or chartered bus.  

In 2024, there were 15,075 bus accidents across the United States, 235 of which were fatal. As of April 2025, there have been 2,711 bus crashes, including 30 fatal crashes. Illinois reported 861 accidents in 2024, six of which were fatal.

Losing a loved one is tragic, especially when it was due to poor bus safety or a negligent driver. Our wrongful death attorneys can help you hold the irresponsible parties accountable for a bus accident by negotiating with insurance companies for a fair sum. We can help you recover medical expenses, funeral costs, and grief, all while respecting your need for privacy.   

Legal Options Following a Bus Accident

When buses crash, passengers and other motorists may be seriously injured or killed. Our lawyers help clients in Chicago, Cook County, and throughout Illinois hold operators of municipal buses, Greyhound buses, and school buses responsible. 

It can be challenging to sue a school district due to the 1959 School Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS §25/0.01), which was passed after Molitor v. Kaneland Community Unit Dist. This lawsuit and law affirmed that school districts are immune to lawsuits. Similar restrictions are in place for municipal transit buses, such as the Chicago Transit Authority fleet. 

However, it is not impossible to hold municipalities responsible for a school bus crash. Our school bus accident lawyers are available to help you take legal action. A bus accident lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can help investigate your claim and recover compensation for your damages. A bus accident case may be eligible for medical expenses, lost wages, and property damages.

You must act quickly if you would like to file a lawsuit against any party. In Illinois, the statute of limitations for personal injury is just two years. If you’d like to file action against a government agency like a school district, you may have even less time to file. Contact a lawyer as soon as possible so that we can begin investigating your case, speaking to witnesses, and writing a demand letter. 

Consult a Bus Crash Lawyer Near You!

Our Chicago personal injury law firm has a 98% success rate and works on a contingency fee basis, meaning that you owe us nothing unless we are able to earn you compensation. To schedule a free consultation about your bus accident injuries, call us at (888) 424-5757 or use our online contact form. 

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.