National Safety Council Points to School Bus Safety Needs

The National Safety Council has applauded Administrator Mark Rosekind and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for speaking clearly and directly on the issue of school bus safety.

The group noted that school buses are the safest way to transport children because of buses’ design, large size, conspicuity, professional drivers and the passive protection afforded by the 1970s requirement of closely spaced, tall, padded seat backs – known as compartmentalization.

Looking ahead, the group posed the following question: “What more can we do?”

Seat belts seems to be one of the obvious answers.  As the National Safety Council noted: “Three-point seat belts are required for school bus drivers and are now required in all of our personal vehicles. As states have changed their laws, it is important for all organizations, including the federal government, to update safety standards. The Council acknowledges that more school children are killed outside of the bus, during loading and unloading operations than on the bus, and that both passive and active restraint systems play a role in saving lives and preventing injuries on our roadways.”

The group advocates for defensive driving education for all drivers, crash avoidance and mitigation technologies, and improved occupant protection across all modes of transportation.

Category: Featured, Safety