DID YOU KNOW the traditional yellow school bus is one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States? Consider the facts:

• School buses are nearly 2,000 times safer than the family car.
     
• Every year, approximately 440,000 public school buses travel 4.3 billion miles to transport 23.5 million students to and from school and school-related activities.
     
• The school bus is the only mode of transportation which has been reducing accidents, injuries and fatalities while increasing the number of vehicles, miles, and passengers annually.
     
• The school bus occupant fatality rate of 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled is much lower than the rates for passenger cars (1.5) or light trucks and vans (1.3).
     
• Pedestrian fatalities -- those occurring while loading and unloading school buses -- account for approximately three times as many school bus-related fatalities when compared to school bus occupant fatalities.
     
• Of all the vehicle occupant fatalities reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration a mere 0.04% were related to school bus transportation.
     
• This impressive safety record is a direct reflection of the professional pride and expertise of America's school bus drivers.