Tennessee to Examine 3-Point Belts on School Buses

By Shanna Thompson | Associate Editor

NASHVILLE , Tenn. - Legislators are taking a second shot at determining whether the state's school buses should be outfitted with occupant restraints.

The study will pick up where things left off in 2004 when the legislature voted to create a special committee to make recommendations on school bus seat belts but then failed to appoint members. In November, WTVF-TV in Nashville uncovered the oversight, and a committee has since been formed by House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh.

The committee had its first meeting on Dec. 1 to discuss language for a bill that would require 3-point seat belt restraints, said Rep. Ben West. As of press time, members planned to meet again in mid-January when the former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Jim Hall, was scheduled to address the group. IMMI, the manufacturer of Safeguard seats for school buses, was also on the agenda to show the committee a prototype bus equipped with lap/shoulder belts.

"( Tennessee was) the leading state in requiring child restraint devices in automobiles. Then to think we put our most precious resources on school buses and don't require them to have seat belts," said Naifeh. "We all know what the inside of a school bus is like and how much tumble room there is in one should there be an accident."

If a lap/shoulder belt mandate is passed, he said, the state should provide the necessary funding instead of placing the burden on local government or school districts. An analysis prompted by a separate state bill in April 2004 determined that it would cost $84 million to retrofit all school buses. A phase-in, as old school buses are retired, would cost less than $6 million a year. There are approximately 8,100 buses in the state fleet.

The Tennessee Association of Pupil Transportation completed its own survey in December to determine the level of support for the seat belts on school buses from transportation officials. The results indicated that 76 percent of respondents did not support lap/shoulder 3-point belts. Factors such as available funding were not reflected in the yes/no survey.

"The vast majority of Tennessee managers, because of past experience, do not believe that sufficient funding will be provided for a complete and acceptable passenger restraint program," said Executive Director Larry Riggsbee. " Tennessee school directors and Tennessee school boards absolutely do not support unfunded mandates from political entities."

School business managers also express concern that seat belts costs could be allocated from school systems' operating budgets, he said, resulting in "retrofit a bus and cut a teacher."

Riggsbee noted that association does not lobby for any type of legislation, and that the goal of the TAPT study was to inform school transportation officials of the bill being considered. Additionally, it will distribute any information requested by the committee.

"The more educated the legislators are, the better decision they can make," he said.