School bus seat belts: Ozaukee County crash raises questions
School bus seat belts; crash raises questions
After a Random Lake school bus crashed on Monday, some may wonder whether seat belts could've prevented injuries.
RANDOM LAKE, Wis. - After a Random Lake school bus crashed on Monday, some may wonder whether seat belts could've prevented injuries. But there's a reason most school buses don't have the safety tools.
There is no state or federal law that requires seat belts on large school buses, but the National Transportation Safety Board is pushing for states to implement them. Still, opinions are mixed.
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"School buses are the safest way to get to and from school," said Kristin Poland, NTSB deputy director of highway safety.
Nationwide, only buses that weigh 10,000 pounds or less are required to have seat belts.
"If they're a smaller size, they have less protection on the road," Poland said.
Poland said the reason seat belts are not mandated is because of the way buses are designed.
"Children sit facing forward in their seat. If there is a frontal crash, the child slides forward, interacts with the seatback in front of them," she said. "A number of crashes, specifically side-impact crashes with other vehicles or roll over crashes, the children weren’t protected."
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Monday's crash, which happened in the town of Fredonia when a car collided with the school bus, caused the bus to flip onto its side. Eight kids were sent to a hospital, and others were also hurt. The Ozaukee County sheriff said the bus did not have seat belts.
"School buses are still safe, they are better than a parent's passenger car, certainly safer than any other mode – but they could be safer," said Poland.
The NTSB has been pushing states to require lap shoulder seat belts on school buses of all sizes for several years.
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It's an idea some residents of Random Lake hope to see, while others think it would result in the opposite of safety in the event of an emergency.
"Mom and dad want to see their kids go home safe, that’s about it," said Roland Wolf.
"Trying to get 40 kids unbuckled in a timely manner just would not happen," Heather Zeigler said.
Poland said there are only nine states that currently require seat belts on all school buses. In southeast Wisconsin, Kenosha and Sheboygan have seat belts on buses that carry fewer than 22 people. It is unclear if any area school districts have them on larger buses.
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