ALT-1 Should School Buses have and Enforce Seat Belt use – Yes
We used to stand up in the middle of the front seat and ride in the back of Dad's pickup right? Sure we lived to tell about it, but we didn't think about things then the way we know about them now. Our parents must have been in "it can't happen to us mode", and remember when mom used her arm as our seat belt?
These days we know the things that can happen and we've all seen the footage of kids flying all over the bus in a crash or a hard bump in the road. Kids are used to wearing seat belts in cars so why not a bus? Let's face it, the school districts with all of the taxes they are collecting don't won't to retrofit thousands of buses, it's a money issue. This should be addressed tomorrow, if not today. But of course most of us know it will take a dead child to change anything. The excuse of a child not being able to unbuckle in case of an accident or rollover is a cop out. The duty to remain belted is not the responsibility of the driver either, but this will at least give the districts an escape from a legal standpoint in case of death due to an accident.
You moms out there always tell us adult children to "drive carefully" so why not remind your kids to buckle their seat belt when they get on the bus or a different belt will be awaiting them upon arrival from school? Let's take control, seat belts on the bus and parents telling them they'd better use it.
Seat belts will not only protect the kids but the driver as well. The driver needs his attention on the road, not a bunch of kids jumping around in the bus, changing seats and playing around, this is serious stuff. I may sound like some cynical old man, but I write this as somewhat of a youngster myself with no kids, but I know what I see and I know what I see is wrong with this picture. I'm not for zero tolerance on most matters but as adults we have to wear seat belts and the kids on a bus should too.
People can quote crash stats. all day that speed kills, airbags will explode in our faces and burn our arms and seat belts can break a collar bone or two. But let's be realistic and forget the stats. for a moment and use common sense.
For the schools it's simply a money issue, they know it and you should too. But have no fear, when the first law suit is filed for wrongful death of a child in a school bus crash due to lack of seat belts this will all change. I just hope it's not your kid that will serve as a conduit to make things change.
