Expert: Seat belts could make school buses safer but would increase costs

Public pressure makes it likely that seat belts will become a part of school buses, he said.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A national bus safety expert told a task force Thursday that seat belts can make school buses a bit safer, but cost is a concern.

The panel, appointed by Gov. Matt Blunt after three school bus crashes in Missouri, heard from Charles Gauthier, director of the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.

Gauthier said that while lap belts alone could do more harm than good, lap-shoulder belts could help reduce injuries in school bus crashes.

However, he said, there are other factors to consider, especially cost. He estimated it would add $7,000 to the cost of a bus to include seat belts, and said installing them in older buses not designed for belts is unwise. Also, buses with belts likely would hold fewer students, so school districts could need to buy more buses.

But public pressure alone makes it likely that seat belts will become a part of school buses eventually, Gauthier said. It's just a matter of how long it takes and at what cost.

"The public expects them," he said. "If every state were awash with money, this would be a no-brainer."

Plus it would send a more consistent message to children already used to being strapped into child safety seats when young and buckled up in cars as they grow.

Taking emotion out of it

Public safety director Mark James, chairman of the task force, said it's too early to say what the group might recommend, but said seat belts will be a hot topic.

"It's a very explosive issue," he said. "What we're trying to do is take the emotion out of it and look at it very analytically."

James said that while cost is a factor, it's not his group's job to weigh that. If something makes sense for safety reasons, he said, it will be recommended and left up to the governor and lawmakers to wrestle with funding issues.

Several states already require school buses to have seat belts, but some don't require students to wear them. Gauthier said there is no data available to show whether states with bus seat belt laws have seen injuries drop.

Most school buses use a safety system called compartmentalization, with high seat backs and padding designed to cushion the impact if a child is thrown forward. It works on any size child, and needs no participation by the student.

The current system of bus design shouldn't be abandoned, Gauthier said, because some children can't -- or won't -- wear seat belts.

He said school buses already are the safest way for children to get to and from school, and efforts should be made to get more children to ride the bus to school instead of walking or being driven by their family.

The panel also is looking at safety issues beyond seat belts, including bus driver training, bus inspection standards and how to prevent terrorist attacks.

The task force is expected to offer recommendations in August on what changes, if any, should be made to improve school bus safety.

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