Overall Costs of Study was Negotiated
Down by Almost $80,000

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Nov. 6, 2007) — One year after the tragedy that befell the town of Huntsville, Ala., another step has been taken in researching the effectiveness of seat belts on school buses. The Alabama Seat Belt Task Force has chosen the University of Alabama to run the three-year study, which was originally called for by Gov. Bob Riley after four students died and 12 students were injured when a Lee High School school bus broke through a guardrail and crashed 30 feet to the highway below.

Being the only school that submitted a proposal benefited the study group in the end.

"The seat belt study group was able to renegotiate the cuts down by about $80,000," said Mitch Edwards, a spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Education.

The total amount awarded to the university was approximately $316,000, which will cover the research and administrative costs for the entire length of the study. A total of 12 school districts from around the state will be chosen to receive one of the lap/shoulder belt-fitted school buses.

"There is a list of 17 potential school systems for the pilot program," said Edwards. "We'll whittle it down within the next few weeks."

The school districts will each separately receive $83,942 to pay for a new school bus which will also include two cameras to record the activity within the bus.