Seat Belts on School Buses

When my son was getting ready to enter kindergarten, he was most excited about riding the school bus. We have pictures and video of him as he stepped on and waved goodbye. (Of course I followed in the car to make sure he found his room OK!)

But when he came home, he was very confused about riding the bus. Where were the seat belts? Hadn't we always told him he ALWAYS had to wear a seat belt while in the car? Why wasn't that true on a school bus. I could not answer him very well. It was hard to explain that it was safe for him to not be in a seat belt. And now, I'm not so sure.

Most area school systems say buses are safer without them. But not Loudoun County. The Virginia school system is shaking up the debate becoming the first in the region and the state to mandate all new buses be equipped with seat belts.

Sixty new buses will roll into service when school starts. Loudoun County Schools Director of Transportation Mike Lunsford says he pushed for seat belts because he thinks it enhances safety by keeping children in their seats in the event of a rollover or side impact. He also believes requiring children to buckle up encourages and reinforces the habit, which will keep children safer their whole lives.

But Fairfax County School's Chief Operating Officer Dean Tistadt says it's a bad idea. He says if a bus catches fire or plunges in the water, seat belts may hinder evacuations. Tistadt says fires are more common than rollovers.

But Lunsford disagrees safety belts pose a problem and says children today are able to unbuckle quickly. He says the belts may make an evacuation more orderly. One of main reasons Lunsford pushed the school board to mandate seat belts he says, is to reinforce a good habit. If children get in the habit of buckling up, he reasons, that practice will protect them their whole lives. Who could disagree with that?

For more information, visit the National Coalition for School Bus Safety at http://www.ncsbs.org/.

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