Seats Belts on School Buses? Yes or No!

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF-TV) – Its a parents’ worse nightmare–a child hurt or killed while riding a school bus.
Tragically, two students were killed in Houston on Tuesday, and every time something like that happens, a call goes up to put seat belts on the buses.
There are arguments on both sides of that issue.

Two students died when this Houston, Texas school bus was hit by an automobile. The bus overturned and slid off the freeway. The National Highway Traffic safety Administration is expected to urge schools to install seat belts on buses.
Burt there are plenty of issues to consider.

COY ELLIS, COORDINATOR, ERLANGER SAFE & SOUND PROGRAM "Well, even if we could put them on there, we have to keep in mind what we’re talking about. Even if we have seat belts, its insuring the usage. Not only just insuring the usage …ensuring the proper usage of those seat belts."

The transportation chief of Hamilton county schools doesn’t think any improvement in safety should be ignored..but he’s realistic.

BEN COULTER, TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR, HCDE "Nationwide, with hundreds of thousands of buses traveling millions of miles a year, there are roughly only about 6 to 10 deaths that occur on a school bus."

Erlanger’s Coy Ellis says cost should never be the over-riding issue when it comes to a child’s safety. But he’s also aware of the stats.

COY ELLIS "Over 340 thousand motor vehicle related deaths in our country annually, only one-half of one percent of those 340-thousand or so…involve an occupant of a school bus."

Coulter says adding seat belts would have another effect—

BEN COULTER "An 84 passenger bus can handle 84 elementary kids…but it can only handle about 60 -65 middle school and high school kids."

Only 6 states require seat belts on school buses, one of them is Texas, where the latest student deaths occurred.

Hamilton county’s 250 school buses make 1100 trips a day..driving 19-thousand miles per day.
The district has 20-to-25 accidents a year.