California does not publish a single, final statewide roll-up of bus-involved crashes for the most recent calendar year until well after the year closes. For 2024, that means you will not find an official, consolidated number yet. The most trustworthy sources today are a mix of:
- national fatal-crash datasets from NHTSA/FARS and NSC, which provide bus-specific context for 2023 and trend direction into 2024
- incident reporting by major California transit agencies and local authorities
- Caltrans crash statistics for the State Highway System (which describe where and how crashes happen, though they do not break out buses as a vehicle class)
What “bus accident” means in the data
- FARS/NSC definitions. NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) tags a crash as bus-involved when a bus body class vehicle is part of a fatal crash. NSC’s “school-bus-related” measure is broader, covering any crash in which a vehicle used as a school bus is directly or indirectly involved, including loading and unloading.
- Caltrans scope caveat. Caltrans’ annual crash book only covers crashes on the State Highway System and explicitly excludes some school-bus private-property incidents.
2024 at a glance in California
While 2024 statewide totals for bus crashes are not yet compiled, several high-impact bus incidents illustrate the risk profile: urban arterial conflicts, bus-vs-auto head-ons, and train-vs-bus interactions.
Selected 2024 California bus incidents with 10+ injuries
| Date (2024) | Location | Bus type | Brief description | Injuries | Fatalities | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8–9 | Oakland (International Blvd) | AC Transit bus | Car struck bus head-on, multi-vehicle crash | 16 injured, 2 critical | 0 | |
| Apr 30 | Los Angeles (E Line near USC) | University shuttle vs LA Metro train | Shuttle bus crossed into train’s path | 55 injured | 0 |
These cases align with the urban-corridor risk patterns Caltrans highlights for severe crashes on high-volume roadways.
National context that frames California’s risk in 2024
California typically reflects national patterns, so the best near-real-time signal comes from U.S. totals.
School-bus fatalities rose nationally in 2023
| Year | U.S. school-bus-related deaths |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 104 |
| 2023 | 128 |
NSC’s analysis of NHTSA data shows a 23% national increase in 2023 school-bus-related fatalities.
California’s overall fatality backdrop
California recorded 4,061 traffic deaths in 2023, with a rate of 1.28 per 100 million VMT.
2024 national fatality trend points slightly downward
NHTSA’s 2024 preliminary national estimates point to fewer total traffic deaths than 2023. Berkeley SafeTREC summarizes the estimate at 39,345 traffic deaths in 2024 nationwide, a 3.8% decline versus 2023.
Transit agency safety metrics to watch in California
- San Francisco Muni collision rate. SFMTA tracks Muni collisions per 100,000 vehicle miles and set a FY23–24 target of < 4.8.
- LA Metro safety planning. LA Metro’s federally required Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan uses NTD safety data for bus and sets mode-specific goals and metrics.
Why statewide “2024 bus crashes in California” is hard to quote today
- Publication lag: FARS releases final, validated fatal-crash microdata well after year-end and does not publish a single “state bus total” fact sheet.
- Scope fragmentation: Police-reported roadway crashes (FARS, SWITRS) and transit safety incidents (NTD) are separate systems with different definitions.
- Coverage differences: Caltrans’ 2023 crash book is about where crashes happen on the State Highway System and explicitly excludes certain school-bus private-property events.
Practical takeaways for 2024 in California
- Urban conflict points matter. Head-ons and turning conflicts on busy corridors remain the standout severe crash types for buses, as seen in Oakland and Los Angeles incidents this year.
- Transit safety programs are tightening. Agencies are using the FTA’s safety-risk-reduction requirements and publishing regular metrics.
- Macro risk is easing slightly. The national 2024 fatality estimate fell versus 2023, which is encouraging for all road users, including bus riders and nearby pedestrians.
Data table: Where to get the numbers as they finalize
| Metric you want | Best source | What it tells you | 2024 availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus-involved fatal crashes in CA | NHTSA FARS query tool | Exact count of fatal crashes with a bus in California | Finalized well after year-end; custom query by state and body class is required. |
| School-bus-related fatalities (U.S.) | National Safety Council Injury Facts | National trend comparator for 2023 vs 2022 | 2023 shows 128 deaths, up 23% YoY. |
| California total traffic deaths | IIHS “State by state” based on FARS and FHWA | Overall statewide risk environment | 2023 CA deaths: 4,061; rate 1.28 per 100M VMT. |
| Transit bus safety events | FTA National Transit Database (Monthly Safety Time Series) | Collisions, injuries, fatalities reported by agencies | 2024 monthly files exist; statewide totals require filtering by CA agencies. |
| State Highway crash exposure & patterns | Caltrans 2023 Crash Data on State Highways | Trends by facility type, severity, time of day | Latest published 2023 edition, not bus-specific. |
Methodological notes and definitions
- Bus categories. In federal data, buses include school, transit, intercity/motorcoach, and other bus body classes.
- Transit vs roadway crash data. The NTD captures agency-reported safety events for transit modes, including motorbus. FARS and SWITRS capture police-reported roadway crashes.
What to watch next
- FARS 2024 release for California bus-involved fatal crashes, segmented by bus type and crash circumstances.
- NTD 2024 Annual Safety tables in October 2025 to compare bus collision and injury rates across California agencies.
- Local KPIs such as SFMTA’s collisions per 100,000 miles and LA Metro safety targets to see whether urban operational risk is trending down.
Bottom line for 2024
The clearest numbers available today are national: school-bus-related deaths increased to 128 in 2023, setting a higher baseline heading into 2024, while overall U.S. traffic fatalities declined in 2024.
In California, 2024 saw high-injury incidents concentrated on urban corridors and at rail crossings, consistent with the state’s broader severe-crash patterns on busy arterials.
Expect the final 2024 California bus-involved fatal-crash totals to arrive with the public FARS tables and the transit-agency roll-ups later in 2025. In the meantime, the agency dashboards and monthly NTD files are the best leading indicators.
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