NTSB Calls for Alcohol Detection Systems in School Buses and Renews Call for Student Seat Belts

NTSB Calls for Alcohol Detection Systems in School Buses and Renews Call for Student Seat Belts

4/23/2026

​The school bus at its final rest position across the roadway. (Source: West Virginia State Police).​​

​​WASHINGTON (April 23, 2026) – The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday that a school bus driver’s alcohol impairment caused a rollover crash in Millstone, West Virginia, that seriously injured three students and underscored the need for alcohol detection systems and passenger lap/shoulder belts on school buses.

On March 4, 2024, a school bus carrying 19 students on State Highway 16 near Millstone, West Virginia, departed the right side of the roadway, returned to the roadway and rolled over onto its right side. Three students were seriously injured and 16 sustained minor injuries. The driver was later found to have a blood alcohol concentration reading of 0.161 grams per deciliter.

The investigation found that alcohol impairment among school bus drivers occurs with concerning frequency. A Stateline study found that, from 2015 through 2019, 118 school bus drivers nationwide were cited or arrested for operating a bus while impaired by alcohol, drugs, or a combination of both. NTSB also noted that active and passive alcohol detection technologies already exist that can prevent a vehicle from operating if driver alcohol impairment is detected. These systems are being used successfully on school buses in parts of Europe as a preventive safety measure. As a result, the NTSB recommended that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration require all new school buses to be equipped with vehicle-integrated alcohol detection systems.

NTSB investigations have shown passenger lap/shoulder belts on school buses provide increased protection in side impact and rollover crashes like the Millstone crash and a similar crash in Dale, Texas, which the NTSB examined as part of this investigation. In these types of crashes, the compartmentalized seating design of large school buses alone may not prevent injuries because unbelted children can be thrown from their seating area, strike other occupants or hard surfaces, or be partially or fully ejected from the bus. In both the Millstone, West Virginia, and the Dale, Texas, crashes, the unbelted students were thrown about the interior of the bus, resulting in the increased risk of injuries and ejections.

As part of the investigation, the NTSB reiterated its recommendation that West Virginia require passenger lap/shoulder belts on new large school buses and called on the state to establish enforceable procedures to ensure students use the seat belts properly on every trip.

The full report is available on the NTSB’s website. The investigation page contains the report and the investigation docket. More information about school bus safety ​ is also available on the NTSB’s website.

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To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).