Child Safety Demands Seat Belts on All School Buses!
- by: Susan V
- recipient: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Head, Mark Rosekind
A tragic school bus wreck last week in Chattanooga caused the deaths of 5 children and injured many more. None of the children were wearing seat belts, because there weren't any seat belts on the bus.
Required only in a few states, seat belts on school buses has been a controversial topic for decades. However, after ABC News ran a story in January, 2015, with crash-test-dummy evidence, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA's) new head, Mark Rosekind, told ABC the agency would be reviewing the issue - and “pretty fast.” Almost 2 years later the same six states require seat belts, and the other 44 don’t.
ABC's video shows that in the head-on crash test at 30 mph, small and middle-sized dummies not wearing seat belts were tossed about like rag dolls. Those seated properly with seat belts did hit the seats in front of them, but remained “well-restrained and probably fared very well,” said the report. In a roll-over test, which is considered a much worse accident, the belted kids remained safe in their seats while the others were “thrown throughout the school bus.”
Though these crash tests were run by a seat belt manufacturer, it would be hard to claim results were biased. Days after the Chattanooga roll-over crash, CNN compared that incident to a similar, previous one in California, where bus seat belts are required. No child died in the CA crash.
CNN says the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends installing seat belts in newly manufactured buses, and the National Safety Council “has made similar recommendations.”
Sign this petition to urge NFTSA to recommend seat belts on all school buses, supported by federal funding.
To Mark Rosekind, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration:
Alhough NHTSA says schools buses are safer than cars even without seat belts, apparently they are not safe enough
Though it's not yet determined if seat belts might have saved all the lives of children in the Chattanooga tragedy, seat belts certainly would have prevented some injuries. The comparison between the CA and the Chattanooga crashes and the crash tests speak for themselves. Children are safer using seat belts, and the concerns about costs don’t outweigh concerns over children’s lives and safety. Deaths are not the only devastating injuries that occur with these crashes. Brain injuries can adversely affect a child and his family for life, and other injuries can cause serious and permanent disability.
Therefore I, the undersigned and others supporting this petition, strongly urger NHTSA to recommended seat belts for all school buses in all states, and federal funding to help pay for theses safety measures.
