School bus safety in Washington

Most Washington parents only want the best for their children, so each morning they pack their children up and send them to school. For many of these children, that means a ride on a school bus. These large commercial vehicles are then responsible for ensuring that people’s children get to and from school safely.

In order to ensure the safety of Washington children, the state has many regulations that govern school buses. These regulations make sure that the buses are as safe as possible for school children. Even though school buses look similar to what they looked like decades ago, the safety features have been significantly upgraded.

These safety features includes standards for the school busses steering systems, brakes, heaters, mirrors and fuel systems. There are also minimum structural strength guidelines that school buses must adhere to in case of a roll over crash. Additionally, the way that seats are placed — called compartmentalization — also helps to protect students in case of accidents, even without seatbelts.

The government has also updated standards for when school busses must be maintained, and for how bus drivers must be trained. There are also specific processes for keeping safety records.

No matter how safe school buses are, school bus accidents happen. When these accidents are the result of another person’s negligence, the injured people may have legal rights. When school children are injured, the parents of those children may be able to bring a suit on behalf of their child.

An attorney can help people determine their legal rights following a bus accident. With the right help, people can get the compensation they need.

Source: The Safety Restraint Coalition, “School Buses,” accessed Jan. 5, 2015

Matthew D. Dubin

Matt Dubin has spent more than 20 years honing his skills as one of the top personal injury lawyers in the State of Washington. In his career, Matt has focused on protecting consumers from dangerous household products, medical mistakes, roadway accidents, and many other causes of injury. Matt has recovered nearly $20 million on behalf of his clients.

Education

• University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington – J.D.
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – B.A.

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