Topic of the Day: School Bus Safety
13 On Your Side wants to know your thoughts:
The recent tragedy in Chattanooga, Tennessee has rekindled an old debate regarding making school buses safer. On Monday, a school bus driver lost control and crashed into a wooded area; five of the children on board were killed, several others were injured.
The argument to place seat belts on school buses has taken center stage and the question whether the lives of these children could have been saved is on many people’s minds. A similar crash happened in Anaheim, California; a bus driver lost control, the bus then rolled on it’s side and crashed into nearby trees.
Although there are many similarities to the Chattanooga crash, the students on the California bus were wearing seat belts and no one was seriously injured; California is one of six states that have laws in place requiring all school buses have seat belts.
Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Safety Council have recommended that all buses be equipped with three point seat belts. In most cases the decision falls on the individual community, on whether to spend nearly $10,000 a bus to install seat belts.
13 On Your Side wants to know your thoughts:
What do you think should be done to make school buses safer?
