ABERDEENSHIRE, Scotland — In Aberdeenshire, one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, regional officials are contemplating a move to install seat belts in all of its area school buses, according to the BBC.

“The research showed that pupils were very safe on school buses and this would make them even safer," said Bruce Robertson, Aberdeenshire Council's director of education, learning and leisure.

The change in policy would take a greater step towards seat belt inclusion than the recent NHTSA final rule on occupant protection in the states, which in part requires lap/shoulder belts on all small buses and only recommends them on Type C and Type D models.

The councilors were scheduled this week to decide the fate of the policy. More than 12,000 students are transported daily on Aberdeenshire’s 829 school buses. FirstGroup, the parent company of school bus contractor First Student, is headquartered about 40 miles to the east in Aberdeen.