After 21 people, mostly students, were injured last weekend in a bus accident in Aliquippa a question concerned families are asking is: Should seat belts be required?
At present, Pennsylvania law does not call for seat belts on large school buses, which rely on compartmentalization for passenger protection.
That safety design features high-backed, padded seats arranged closely together to create a protective space around passengers.
But compartmentalization is unlikely to protect students in the event of a side-impact collision or rollover, as was the case in Beaver County.
Legislation under consideration in Harrisburg would require all new school buses to be equipped with seat belts. Some lawmakers have concerns about costs.
One possibility is a state subsidy to share the increased cost with bus companies and school districts.
By law, we are required to wear a seat belt except on a school bus. Pennsylvania’s lawmakers have an opportunity to require safety restraints at least on new school buses.
If our children are indeed our ‘most precious commodity’, then isn’t the extra cost worth it?