Teens Steal Car and Strike Two School Buses in North Carolina

WINSTON/SALEM/FORSYTH COUNTY, NC- Charlotteobserver.com writes that two school buses were involved in crashes with teens traveling in a stolen vehicle this week. The early morning incident began with reports indicating that a driver was traveling erratically near a Northwest Middle School, causing the officials to place the campus on lockdown. The vehicle then struck two school buses. Students were exiting one of the buses when the crash took place. A bus driver and four children sustained injuries in that crash. The car then collided head-on with another school bus.* 

Officers say that three teenagers between the ages of thirteen and sixteen had stolen the car before causing the collisions. All three of the suspects were then arrested, and charges against them are now pending. 

School buses are safer than other types of vehicles on the roadway and provide more protection in crashes than any other automobile on the road. However, when students are getting on and off of buses, they are at their most vulnerable. School buses have stop sign arms, and it is illegal to drive past a bus when these signs are displayed. 

Unfortunately, drivers sometimes violate these signs putting children in harm’s way. Some states have equipped their school buses with cameras in order to catch any driver who fails to abide by school bus-related safety laws. Even the safest buses are still only able to protect students once they are on the bus and before they exit. Protecting passengers when they become pedestrians is the next step needed to ensure all students get to and from their destinations safely. 

Accident News is a safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Sources:https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article239321598.html and https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety and https://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/state-school-bus-stop-arm-camera-laws.aspx