NTSB Recommends Alcohol Detection Systems for School Buses

Thu Apr 23 2026 20:32:56 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In response to a tragic accident in West Virginia, the National Transportation Safety Board urges the installation of alcohol detection systems in all new school buses to enhance safety for children.

Following a severe school bus accident in West Virginia that resulted in a child's leg amputation and serious injuries to others, the NTSB has identified impaired driving as a significant issue among school bus drivers. As a precautionary measure, they recommend equipping new school buses with alcohol detection systems to prevent driver's intoxication from endangering children on board. While acknowledging that most school bus trips are safe, the NTSB emphasizes the necessity of these safety measures. The recommendation also highlights that many school buses lack seat belts, further prompting the need for improved safety standards.

After a school bus rolled on a West Virginia highway two years ago, forcing one boy to have his leg amputated and seriously injuring two other children aboard, police quickly discovered that the driver was intoxicated.

However, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) discovered that this was not an isolated incident. Thus, on Thursday, the NTSB made an unprecedented recommendation to install alcohol detection systems in all new school buses, which would disable the vehicle when impaired. There’s a higher expectation for school bus drivers than many other types of drivers, stated Kris Poland, deputy director of the NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety. We expect that the drivers are attentive, not fatigued, not impaired, and are driving as safely as possible.

While the NTSB has not estimated the cost or who would be responsible for these installations, existing ignition interlock devices—as seen with DUI offenders—typically cost around $75 to $150 for installation, plus monthly monitoring fees.

Alcohol is linked to one-third of traffic deaths

While federal regulators or individual states may mandate this technology, widespread adaptation would require legislative action from Congress. Notably, the NTSB focused its recommendation on alcohol impairment since testing for other drugs like marijuana lacks clear legal standards for impairment comparable to those for alcohol.

This comes on the heels of a prior recommendation made by the NTSB that prompted Congress to require alcohol detection systems in all new passenger vehicles; however, implementation of this rule is still underway.

The NTSB has consistently warned against the dangers of drunk driving, noting that alcohol has a part in one-third of approximately 37,000 traffic fatalities each year. Although data specifically on school bus driver DUIs are scarce, an alarming report from Stateline.org indicated at least 118 school bus drivers faced accusations of drunk driving over a five-year period.

In the aforementioned incident, the driver lost control of the bus after hitting a culvert, injuring 19 children, most of whom sustained only minor injuries. The driver received a large prison sentence for these actions.

Peter Kurdock, of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, emphasized, Children going to and from the schoolhouse are America’s most precious passengers. He cautions that, although such recommendations may face resistance from the owners of the nation’s half-million school buses, it's essential to prioritize the safety of children aboard these transports.

In addition to the alcohol detection systems, the NTSB urges a renewed push for seat belts in buses, despite previous resistance due to perceptions of their safety. They point out that during the past decade, of the nearly 1,000 fatal crashes involving school buses, 70% of those deceased were occupants of other vehicles, indicating that the safety of children remains paramount.

Ultimately, attorney Todd Spodek believes these preventive measures wouldn’t infringe on the rights of bus drivers, noting that the benefits of maintaining sobriety on the road far outweigh any inconveniences posed by such systems.