LEGISLATURE

Dear Assembly Member or Senator ___________________,

 The arguments against seatbelts on school buses are finally being discredited and attributed to self-serving economically motivated groups. There have been 62,000 pupil injuries reported in bus accidents from 1991 to 1996. This does not include that additional thousands of injuries that occur in non-crash events, such as when the bus simply stops quickly and a child is thrown from their seat.

Seatbelts on School Buses have been endorsed by National PTA, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American College of Preventative Medicine, Physicians for Automotive Safety, and the FireMarshalls Association.

Seatbelts would cost about $1 000- on a typical 66 passenger bus costing over $65,000-. This works out to about $1.60 a child per year or less than a penny a day for this added protection. The preliminary data from New Jersey where seat belts are mandated shows lower morbidity and mortality rates in. school bus crashes.

Today all 50 states protect our young motor-vehicle passengers by mandating the use of safety seats or belts in passenger cars and trucks. Thus, the children are already trained to "buckle-up". This habit persists enforced by law, until the first day of school where a portion of the transport industry says it's okay to ride unsecured. This negative education carries over to our teenage drivers who are killed in drastic numbers because they haven't learnt the importance of wearing a seatbelt. What a great opportunity we have before us to educate and condition a new generation of children with this life saving belt.

I urge you to consider mandating seatbelts on school buses and not be swayed by the paid lobbyists serving a economically motivated industry.

Sincerely,

A parent

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