Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Accident Reporting
School bus accidents shall be reported in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:27-12.2, in the following instances:
- Every accident involving a board-owned vehicle.
- Accidents involving vehicles contracted by a district board of education.
An accident is defined as any incident resulting from collision, fire, flood or any other event which results in injury, death or property damage. This does not include vandalism to vehicles.
District boards of education shall establish policies and procedures to be followed by the school bus driver in the event of an accident or emergency (students' sudden illnesses or injuries) while operating a school bus. Local policies must include the following procedures:
- Every school bus driver shall immediately inform the principal of the receiving school and the school business administrator of the district board of education providing for the transportation following an accident which involves an injury, death or property damage.
- The driver shall complete and file with the Department of Education the Preliminary School Bus Accident Report prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.
- In accidents resulting in injury or death of any person or damage to property of any one person in excess of $500, the driver shall complete a Motor Vehicle Accident Report in accordance with N.J.S.A. 39:4-130 and file it with the Division of Motor Vehicles within 10 days after the accident.
- District boards of education shall immediately notify the county superintendent of schools of any accidents involving injury, death or extensive property damage. The county superintendent of schools shall then notify the Department of Education, Office of Student Transportation.
Instructions
- School officials are to input preliminary bus accident information electronically into the Preliminary School Bus Accident Report (PSBAR) Log.
- The local board of education must maintain a paper copy of each Preliminary School Bus Accident Report (Excel).
- For school bus accidents resulting in a fatality, in addition to completing the PSBAR Log, a copy of the Preliminary School Bus Accident Report along with a copy of the police report and copies of any other information pertaining to the accident (e.g. newspaper articles, etc.) must be emailed to student.trans@doe.nj.gov.