School Buses Equipped With Seat Belts: Necessary or Not?
Seth Seymour
November 21, 2006 - 1:23AM
The school bus that crashed in Huntsville Monday did not have any seatbelts. In fact, most school buses don't.
Why don't children have to wear seatbelts on school buses when they're required by law to wear them in a car?
School bus officials say even without seat belts, school buses are by far the safest means of transportation. Numbers say they're right.
But NewsChannel 9 talked to a Chattanooga man whose cousin was killed this morning in the Huntsville crash.
He says if she could've worn a seatbelt, their family might not be in mourning.
"I've been watching all day not realizing this is my family member," Dank Hawkins said until his phone rang late Monday.
"It informed me it was my second cousin who got killed on the bus. For something like this to happen, seat belts probably could've saved a lot more. We'll never know."
So why don't most school buses have seat belts?
The man who controls Hamilton County's 200-plus school buses answers the question.
"We're talking about millions of dollars would have to be spent in Tennessee alone. If you're going to spend all this money, why don't we spend it in the areas where we can save lives the most?" said Hamilton County School's Transportation Director Wayne Hendrix.
And there's another problem: "Not so much the cost," Hendrix said, "but the buses are not designed for them."
School buses are generally safe. The NTSB says out of 6 million traffic-related injuries in 2003, only 17,000 are school bus-related. That's less than one percent.
Hendrix says most school buses are designed to save lives -- without seat belts.
To make up for a lack of seat belts, most school buses have taller seats with extra padding, and they have ceilings that don't cave in during an accident.
"They have padding all over," Hendrix said. "There's nothing inside the bus that would catch a child in the event of a roll over."
No one knows if seat belts would have changed the outcome in Huntsville.
But, "My take on that is it's a moving vehicle," Hawkins said. "All vehicles should be equipped here. The people who make these decisions should use some good common sense."
Five states -- California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York -- require all school buses to have seat belts.
Hendrix said he's closely watching what happens in those states. He predicts Tennessee will eventually be added to the list.
"This is one of those unfortunate, unpredictable kinds of tragedies that occur," she said. "Whether or not a seat belt would have changed anything is very hard to say."
Moore and other school officials said they will revisit the seat belt debate after the shock of the crash wears off.
"That's something that we will look at," Huntsville School Board President Doug Martinson II said.
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seriously impacted by the recent Lee High bus tragedy. A large percentage of the monies raised by the movie
Constellation premiere events on January 27th, 2007 will be earmarked for this purpose.
To purchase premiere tickets and sponsorship opportunities please use the link below.
Seth Seymour
November 21, 2006 - 1:23AM
The school bus that crashed in Huntsville Monday did not have any seatbelts. In fact, most school buses don't.
Why don't children have to wear seatbelts on school buses when they're required by law to wear them in a car?
School bus officials say even without seat belts, school buses are by far the safest means of transportation. Numbers say they're right.
But NewsChannel 9 talked to a Chattanooga man whose cousin was killed this morning in the Huntsville crash.
He says if she could've worn a seatbelt, their family might not be in mourning.
"I've been watching all day not realizing this is my family member," Dank Hawkins said until his phone rang late Monday.
"It informed me it was my second cousin who got killed on the bus. For something like this to happen, seat belts probably could've saved a lot more. We'll never know."
So why don't most school buses have seat belts?
The man who controls Hamilton County's 200-plus school buses answers the question.
"We're talking about millions of dollars would have to be spent in Tennessee alone. If you're going to spend all this money, why don't we spend it in the areas where we can save lives the most?" said Hamilton County School's Transportation Director Wayne Hendrix.
And there's another problem: "Not so much the cost," Hendrix said, "but the buses are not designed for them."
School buses are generally safe. The NTSB says out of 6 million traffic-related injuries in 2003, only 17,000 are school bus-related. That's less than one percent.
Hendrix says most school buses are designed to save lives -- without seat belts.
To make up for a lack of seat belts, most school buses have taller seats with extra padding, and they have ceilings that don't cave in during an accident.
"They have padding all over," Hendrix said. "There's nothing inside the bus that would catch a child in the event of a roll over."
No one knows if seat belts would have changed the outcome in Huntsville.
But, "My take on that is it's a moving vehicle," Hawkins said. "All vehicles should be equipped here. The people who make these decisions should use some good common sense."
Five states -- California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York -- require all school buses to have seat belts.
Hendrix said he's closely watching what happens in those states. He predicts Tennessee will eventually be added to the list.
"This is one of those unfortunate, unpredictable kinds of tragedies that occur," she said. "Whether or not a seat belt would have changed anything is very hard to say."
Moore and other school officials said they will revisit the seat belt debate after the shock of the crash wears off.
"That's something that we will look at," Huntsville School Board President Doug Martinson II said.
seriously impacted by the recent Lee High bus tragedy. A large percentage of the monies raised by the movie
Constellation premiere events on January 27th, 2007 will be earmarked for this purpose.
To purchase premiere tickets and sponsorship opportunities please use the link below.