NEWS: U.S. Department of Transportation

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that Blue Bird Body Company and Harsco Corporation will recall a total of 11,500 school buses that do not meet the federal motor vehicle safety standard for fuel system integrity.

NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D., said that during crash tests conducted by the agency in June 1996, a 1995 Blue Bird "All American" school bus and a 1995 Wayne "Lifestar" school bus exceeded the maximum allowable fuel leakage prescribed in the standard. Subsequently, the manufacturers filed reports advising the agency that each would conduct a safety recall campaign to repair the buses. Harsco is taking responsibility for the recall of the Wayne buses.

The agency stated that while the buses that were tested did not comply with the standard, it is not aware of any crashes involving these models in which there was a fuel system fire. Additionally, Dr. Martinez emphasized that the risk of fatal injury to children in a school bus is four times less than in a passenger car, making it one of the safest forms of ground transportation. However, despite the vehicles' safe operational record, the recall is necessary to ensure that they meet the requirement for fuel system integrity, he stated.

Dr. Martinez said that both manufacturers currently are developing modifications to remedy these problems. When design and testing of the modifications are completed, Blue Bird and Harsco will formally notify school bus owners and repair the buses at no charge. NHTSA will work with the manufacturers to ensure the notices are sent as early as possible.

According to Dr. Martinez, "The safety record of school buses compared to other forms of pupil transportation is outstanding. Other ways of getting children to school expose them to safety risks many times greater than travel in a school bus. Every year, 370,000 of these buses travel 3.5 billion miles to transport 22 million children to and from school and school activities. On a per-vehicle mile basis, no other form of school transportation offers the same level of safety."

Parents or others who have questions about this or any other motor vehicle recall can call NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at (800) 424-9393.