(PALM BEACH COUNTY, Florida) — On Tuesday morning, a driver rear-ended a school bus while on its route in Port St Lucie.

The bus was transporting 15 Morningside Elementary students when it was rear-ended by a car at Crosstown Parkway and Airoso Boulevard.

Authorities reported that none of the students were injured and parents were notified of the accident at 8:24 a.m.

This is the fourth crash involving a school bus in the first two weeks of the school year.

On the first day of school, two teens were hospitalized after their car rear-ended a Palm Beach County school bus in Lake Worth Beach.

Another two accidents where the driver rear-ended a school bus occurred in Palm Beach.

In one case, two cars collided with a Palm Beach County bus while it had its stop signs arms and red lights activated.

Dr. Eric Dumbaugh, associate director of the Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety, said “It’s unusual to see four school bus crashes particularly in such a short period of time,” adding “Typically, people have a greater sensitivity to school buses and children in general.”

Dr. Dumbaugh went on to say, “Our roads have become a lot less safe in the last year or two and it’s principally because people are exercising less care when they drive.” 

School bus riders are still 70 times more likely to arrive at their destination safely than their car-riding counterparts, however, the Palm Beach County School District has reported more than 800 incidents involving school buses since 2019.