This report is an overview regarding the progress of child safety in the United States, a summary of NHTSA's activities in promoting child safety, a summary of the Agency's regulatory actions, and discussion of issues regarding obstacles in the wide spread use of booster seats.
The record is impressive: American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars. The fatality rate for school buses is only 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars.This impressive safety record is a result of the Department of Transportation's requirements for compartmentalization on large school buses, and lap belts plus compartmentalization on small school buses.
Vehicle Aggressivity and Fleet Compatibility Research
The purpose of this research program is to investigate the problems of vehicle aggressivity and compatibility in multi-vehicle crashes. The near term goal is to identify and demonstrate the extent of the problem of incompatible vehicles in vehicle-to-vehicle collisions.
