CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of school bus accidents during the 2016-17 school year jumped by 12 percent, and most of those accidents were classified as “preventable,” according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
[RELATED: CMS school bus accidents jump 9 percent]
Channel 9 obtained numbers from the district showing that as of this week the system had reported 468 accidents involving buses, which is up from 417 at this point during in the 2015-16 school year.
CMS said 284 of those could have been avoided if the drivers had taken some extra action.
The numbers didn’t surprise one bus driver who talked to Channel 9, but asked to not be identified. The driver said they have been asked to take on more routes and drive more miles with more students on board.
“The routes are doubled. The children are not recognizing the drivers. There’s a lot of added stress,” the driver said.
The driver said that many other drivers have left CMS for better paying jobs, leaving others to make up the difference.
“It’s a matter of not having enough qualified drivers,” the driver said.
A CMS spokeswoman said the jump in accidents might be a factor of more buses being on the road. The system added 43 more buses this school year and added that those buses are driving more miles.
Most of the accidents have been minor with very few injuries, but Latasha Stokes, whose 8-year-old rides the bus every day, is concerned.
“To see how many buses are involved in an accident, you don’t know whose fault it is, but it’s crazy how many buses have been in an accident,” Stokes said.
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