Deadly crashes spark creation of task force to study school bus safety

In the wake of three school bus crashes in Missouri last week that killed two motorists and injured dozens of children, Gov. Matt Blunt on Tuesday announced a task force that will study safety issues, including whether seat belts would make a difference.

The nine-member task force also will look at how safety inspections are conducted, Blunt said, and what schools with stellar safety records are doing to protect children who ride school buses.

"The events of last week are a tragic and unfortunate reminder that it is not enough to assume school buses are safe," the governor said. "It is not enough to hope that existing laws, regulations and inspection processes are sufficient."

On May 9, a school bus carrying young children in the Kansas City suburb of Liberty plowed into two vehicles at a busy intersection, killing the two motorists and injuring 23 children, some seriously, and the bus driver.

Wednesday, about 20 students from Belleville, Ill., suffered minor injuries when their bus was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

The next day, a bus carrying fifth-graders from the Wentzville School District was struck by a slow-moving train in Hannibal, Mo. Several students were injured, none seriously. The driver was cited for going through a railroad crossing without sufficient space.

The most significant school bus accident in recent memory for Cape Girardeau County occurred January 2004. A Cape Girardeau school bus transporting Clippard Elementary students careened off the road into a field, clipping a telephone.

A window and the swing-arm on the bus were broken and the driver suffered an injured shoulder but no children were hurt.

There have been minor fender benders, but that accident was the most severe the district has seen in years.

Immediately after the crash in Liberty, several people at the scene said most of the injured children had been thrown into the seats in front of them. That prompted a call from many for seat belts on school buses.

But federal traffic safety officials said seat belts could cause more harm than good because of the size differences of the children who ride the buses.

Blunt said the task force will pay special attention to that issue and if seat belts are considered necessary, the state will find a way to get them installed.

"I don't know what the fiscal impact is," he said. "But this should be driven by safety, not finances."

The task force has until Aug 15 to submit a report with its findings to Blunt.

-- Staff writer Callie Clark contributed to this story