Perspective:

Lap/Shoulder Belts Coming
Around the Mountain

By Ryan Gray | Senior Editor

As reported last month, NHTSA will propose rulemaking later this year for the implementation of voluntary 3-point lap/shoulder belts on school buses, and mandatory 3-point belts on all small school buses. The dreaded 2-point lap belts, which NHTSA said in 2002 could cause additional injuries in the event of a crash, appear dead. But so, too, does the argument for compartmentalization and high seat backs as the only viable school bus occupant restraints.

In fact NHTSA also said it will propose nationwide adoption of the New York high seat back, four inches higher than the current mandate of 24 inches that originated with the landmark 1968 UCLA study.

Clearly, the time for passivity only has passed.

These past several months the industry has seen a requirement for the 3-point harnesses in all new California school buses regardless of size. Now, at least two more states have since publicly called for the occupant restraints. Missouri's governor announced in August that he wanted the state's fleet equipped no matter the cost though cost issues appear to have killed discussions. Kansas legislators in November unveiled a similar plan (see related story on page xx). Washington State is on the same page, as lap/shoulder belt bills, though as of yet unsuccessful, are repeatedly proposed there. Then there's Michigan and Virginia.

The list goes on and on.

As discussions continue all across the country and beyond, one thing is for certain; we must realize that lap/shoulder belts are here to stay. The question remains how to pay for them, and by whom?

A long-standing opponent of the 2-point lap seat belts, NASDPTS in the past couple of years has backed the technology of the 3-point variety so long as legislators fund new bus purchases, additional drivers and the necessary infrastructure of adding new routes. The term 3-2 seating rings a bell.

NHTSA appears inclined to help school districts determine just how much money we're talking about, at least in theory. Last month a spokesperson disclosed to the Federal News Service there would be no budget this fiscal year to help school districts with a cost calculator for lap/shoulder belts. Meanwhile, states such as Florida and Indiana are already formulating their own cost analyses.

I recently spoke with an industry insider who raised another good point. Many of the Letters to the Editor featured in this magazine decry the use of lap/shoulder belts with reasons applicable only to lap belts. If anything, this is a testament of how well the industry has trained itself to argue lap belts cause more harm than good. It's best not to confuse the two or face a harsh rebuke from parents and the media alike.

One issue is the failure to realize how problematic it is to cite injury specifics in arguments. Motor vehicle accidents are as varied as human fingerprints, each arising from different conditions and circumstances with different results. Who without an advanced medical degree and years of real-world experience treating motor vehicle accident injuries can answer why a motorist can walk away from one accident and die instantly in another with nearly identical circumstances?

Meanwhile, others say lap/shoulder belts are a liability issue, pointing to what could happen to students in the event of a fire or a vehicle rollover into a body of water. Seconds are valuable in emergency exiting procedures, no doubt, but the reasoning that small children don't know how to free themselves from the restraints fails to answer claims by seat belt proponents that children from the earliest ages are taught by parents to always buckle up.

Instead of dwelling on theoretical scenarios, the industry should be focusing on the real-world application of school bus seat belts of both varieties. There are invariably lessons to be learned by the school districts that have actual experience with the occupant restraints, including, I am sure, many more stories of success than failure.

Plainly put, anyone who insists on battling the implementation of 3-point belts on school buses is fighting a losing battle in the forum of public opinion. The occupant restraints are simply too engrained in our society and its proponents too vocal to resist any longer, and, if it makes the school bus even safer, why not?

Of course it all comes down to the almighty dollar, which is why industry lobbying efforts are as important as ever. A Midwest distributor recently estimated that installing lap/shoulder belts on new buses could cost between $6,500 and $9,000 for 48- to 71-passenger buses, and seating capacity could be reduced by about a third. NHTSA meanwhile uses figures of $7,500 and 17 percent respectively. The bottom line is what will truly make legislators squirm.

Instead of simply telling lawmakers "yes" or "no" on school bus seat belts, pupil transporters must give specific reasons. Only then will legislators get it through their heads that unfunded mandates, especially those that affect that nation's children, cannot be tolerated. Our friends in Head Start will gladly attest to that.

Source: School Transportation News, February 2006. All rights reserved.