Is it time for seat belts on school buses?

No
Nina Lollar Smith:
The jury is still out

Take it from someone who has driven a school bus for 33 years--improving what is currently a solid safety record for school buses is not just a simple matter of installing seat belts for all students. Especially where there are small children involved, especially on buses where there is no monitor or aide assisting the driver, a headfirst dive into "the seat belt solution" may be no solution at all.

Several years ago, I learned the limits of seat belts the hard way, and so did a kindergarten child I transported on a regular bus. This student had a physical disability, and the district installed a seat belt for the child. Without an aide on the bus, I had to drive and watch this child. For approximately 11 miles, he was the only child on the bus--there wasn't even another student present who could alert me to trouble. One day when I turned to check on him, he had slid down in his seat and was hanging by his chin in the seatbelt!

Is this the type of solution we're proposing? Don't key points--like whether or not student belt use is adequately supervised and whether or not students know how to use seat belts--deserve some consideration before belts are installed? To my knowledge, no comprehensive national study of seat belts on school buses has ever been conducted. The existing seat plan and safety equipment on school buses have been tested and are proven to work. Shouldn't we try to figure out how much seat belts will improve safety and under what conditions? Would we do better to invest in improving driver and student safety training before we take the plunge?

This is not just an abstract concern for me and thousands of other bus drivers. Small children cannot fasten or release the seat belts--that's why mom and dad do it for them in the family car--and it would be very difficult, not to mention unsafe, for drivers to get out of their seats at every stop to release children from their seat belts. Also, with our backs to the students for most of our trip, the driver can't see smaller children. For immature students, there is precious little to prevent them from using the belts as weapons or even as ropes if they so choose. And finally, what is the impact of belts in the event of fire or some other tragedy that requires evacuation of the bus? Can a single driver with anywhere from 30 to 60 small children in seat belts get them off the bus and away from harm faster than a driver who does not have belts to contend with?

Until these questions are answered, I believe the jury remains out on "the seat belt solution."

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Yes
Toni Reyes:
I've seen their benefits firsthand

Experience tells me that seat belts are beneficial for the safety of our children.

In the San Antonio Independent School District, we have used seat belts for 10 years. I believe they have been proven to save lives over this time. I was a school bus driver for eight years, and knowing that my children were secured to their seats when I had to brake hard, or when I was avoiding a possible accident, gave me peace of mind.

I have seen student passengers who were belted in when the bus was involved in an accident, and they came away with just scrapes and bruises. I would hate to think what could have happened if those students had not been wearing their seat belts--many would have been thrown around the passenger compartment and maybe even thrown through a window. I am aware of bus accidents where seat belts were not used, and passengers have suffered tragedies, including the loss of life. When we transport our most precious cargo, we must do everything and anything to do it safely.

Seat belts help keep students seated at all times--a major safety concern on any bus. Once, while driving a 72-passenger bus with seat belts, I discovered that a student had brought a knife on board. It started with a commotion brewing in the back of the bus. I pulled my bus to the side of a road and radioed for help when students told me there was a student with a weapon on board. During this time, the students were calm and followed my directions to remain in their seats. The student with the weapon jumped off the bus and was apprehended by the authorities. Because the students had their seat belts on, I was able to make sure everyone stayed seated, and I was able to tell who the troublemaker was.

I am a firm believer that seat belts are to our advantage, that they save lives every day. Some states are also sending that message by requiring seat belt use in cars. On school buses, I believe seat belts are most effective when there is training for students and drivers and support from school administrations for enforcement. And I know that parents feel better when they know that their child is securely fastened in a school bus seat. I happen to agree.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001