School transportation fatalities declined by 14% nationwide in 2024, falling from 128 deaths to 110, according to federal crash data analyzed by The Millar Law Firm. Yet beneath that encouraging headline lies a more complicated reality: deaths among people riding in school vehicles actually increased to 17, the highest annual total recorded over the past decade.
For Orange County families, school administrators, and transportation officials, the findings are particularly relevant as California continues investing in school transportation safety technology, driver training standards, and stricter pupil transportation regulations.
California Continues to Face Significant School-Zone Risks
Among all states, California recorded the highest number of school-zone pedestrian involvements in the Millar study, with 80 incidents identified during the study period. While California did not rank among the highest-risk states overall, the state’s large student population and heavy traffic volumes make school-zone safety a continuing concern.
The study found that nationwide:
- Occupants of other vehicles accounted for most school transportation fatalities, though those deaths dropped from 85 to 70 in 2024.
- Pedestrian deaths declined from 24 to 19.
- School vehicle occupant deaths increased from 13 to 17.
- Since 2015, 77 children have been killed as pedestrians in school transportation crashes, nearly double the 39 fatalities involving children riding inside school vehicles.
- Occupants of other vehicles represented 70% of the 1,069 school transportation crash deaths recorded over the past decade.
The findings reinforce what transportation safety experts have long argued: the most dangerous part of a student’s trip is often not riding the bus itself, but navigating the area surrounding it.
Orange County Has Seen Its Own School Bus Crashes
While Orange County remains safer than many urban regions, school bus crashes continue to occur locally…