In proposed regulations that mesh well with the AFT's positions on school bus safety, the U.S. Department of Transportation on Nov. 19 set higher standards and will give school districts the option of using federal money to make school buses safer.

Once the final rules take effect, within a year, all new buses must be equipped with 24-inch seat backs, up from 20 inches. And within three years, all new smaller buses, which are likelier to roll over, must have three-point seat belts instead of lap belts. And if they choose to incur the expense, school districts will be allowed to use federal highway safety funds to equip big buses with seat belts.

In releasing the rules, the U.S. transportation secretary pointed out that school buses are by far the safest form of motor vehicle transportation, with a fatality rate almost six times lower than that for cars.

The AFT resolution on school bus safety notes that school bus transportation is extremely safe because regular school buses provide an "egg carton" effect from higher, padded seat backs and closely spaced seats. For this reason and many others, the AFT generally does not favor mandating seat belts on regular big buses. The new recommendations will improve that egg carton effect, making school buses even safer.

Overall, the proposed federal standards provide "an acceptable solution all around to the ongoing issues about seat belts on school buses," says Tish Olshefski, director of AFT PSRP and an expert on school bus safety.

In a recent online survey of AFT members, major concerns about school bus safety included the logistics of evacuation drills, number of bus attendants, treacherous driving conditions and lack of attention to bus safety. While many of our members mentioned the presence or lack of seat belts, the main thing on their minds was dangerous behavior by both students and other drivers.

To see the proposed federal rules, go to http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/. [Annette Licitra]

November 29, 2007