Two-minute impact
AISD officials said that all 551 school buses serving the district are equipped with seatbelts:
- 91 have lap belts
- 460 have lap and shoulder straps
In Texas, over 2,300 crashes involved a school bus in 2022. Of these, 51 people were injured, and seven died. The top factors in these incidents were driver inattention and speed, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
AISD buses were involved in nine accidents during the 2022-23 academic year, according to data from the Texas Education Agency. Out of these incidents, none were fatal or involved injuries, and everyone in the bus was wearing a seatbelt.
District officials highlighted some safety tips for students riding the bus:
- Stand at least 10 feet away from the edge of the road.
- Wait until the bus stops, the door opens and the driver says it’s okay before stepping onto the bus.
- Checking both ways for cars before stepping off the bus.
- Never walk behind the bus.
- Correctly wear the seatbelt while riding on the bus.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn with our neighbors in Hays CISD and everyone affected by the tragic bus accident in Bastrop County,” AISD officials said in a newsletter sent to families March 28.
Also of note
AISD officials also began converting all of its diesel buses to electric, with the goal of having done so by 2035. By the end of this past January, 25 diesel buses were replaced with electric.
For more information on district bus safety, visit www.austinisd.org/transportation/safety-tips.
