In August of 2011 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rejected a petition made by Center for Auto Safety and the National  Coalition for School Bus Safety to require seat belt on school buses. Only six US states ; California, New York, Florida, New jersey and Texas, have laws requiring seat belts on school buses. This petition would have mandated them on a national level.

“We care deeply about schoolchildren and feel that the steps we’ve taken are in the best interests of safety,” said Ronald Medford, deputy administrator at NHTSA.

According to the NHTSA, there ar 19 school bus related death each year on average. Of those, 5 are actually on the bus and the others are in a loading or unloading zone. The NHTSA’s maintains that today’s school bus is one of the safest modes of transportaion with a fatality rate six times lower than passenger vehicles. NHTSA said that typically those who die in a bus are killed by impact with another vehicle or objects and that “in such circumstances seat belts will not be effective in preventing the fatality.”

Not necessary:

Large school bus seats are designed to contain the child during a colition type accident. The high back, tight proximity, sturdy frame and padding provides protection. The cost associated with retrofitting or adding seat belt to a bus would average between $5000 and $8000 per bus, substantially adding to an already burdened education system budget. Buses are typically used for several schools and route for each commute. The time to buckle, and make sure the children are buckled, would impact scheduling and again add to budget woes.

Necessary:

Today’s child is very accustomed to the use of seat belt in automobiles. The culture now dictates wearing a seat belt and not wearing one is “out of the norm”. So, mandating seat belt use on the bus would be relatively easy from the drivers and facity point of view. Having the children belted helps to control the bus atmosphere, keeping the children from jumping around and distraction the bus driver. There’s no question that seat belts reduce impact injuries.

My opinion:

My opinion; the NHTSA made a mistake by rejecting this proposal. Children’s lives would have been saved and injuries from children being throw around the bus would have decreased substantially. The driver could concentrate more on the road, rather than trying to keep un-belted children seated.

Comment below and tell me what you think?

Keep safe, Always!

Charlie

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Charlie Rooney

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