NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS 2005

NEVADA DECIDES THE ISSUE OF SEATBELTS IN SCHOOL BUSES

July 2005

At the End of the Nevada Legislative session the topic of Seat Belts in School buses arrived in AB411. The uniqueness of this legislation is that the basics of this bill had been taken on the floor of the Assembly before in 1993 with AB205, which included the installation of seat belts in School buses. AB205 never made it out of committee for the implementing of seat belts in school buses. Nevertheless, AB411 with provisions for seat belts in school buses for Nevada's Children did not only make it out of committee, but passed in the Assembly and the last day of the Session was taken up by the Senate Transportation committee. Assemblyman Kelvin Atkinson from Las Vegas had been neutering this baby with the passage of 23-3 vote from the Assembly. It was clear that Mr. Atkinson cared about the safety of Nevada's Children when riding the big Yellow bus to and from school. With overwhelming support from his colleagues, the Assembly showed the same.

Madonna Long, former resident of Battle Mountain, Nevada and lobbyist for National Coalition for School Bus Safety has worked on Seat Belt Legislation for fifteen years. She was injured her senior year of high school when her school bus lost it's brakes while descending down a Mountain in Utah in 1981. She was left Paralyzed from her waist down. Assemblyman Atkinson called her his secret weapon, and indeed she was. While testifying on the facts of why seat belts should be used in school buses she said. " I am so happy to be here today to bring the voice of Nevada Children to you. In 2005 there has been four school bus accidents that I am aware of, in 2004 there were seventeen.If society believes seatbelts are desirable and necessary for our children. When your child leaves the hospital they must have a restraint to keep them safe, yet each School year our children ride on belt less buses."

Ms. Long pointed out that Opponents say they are harmful to small children. If this is true then why is there a child restraint law in every state. Seatbelts are on school buses have been endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American College of Preventative Medicine, Physicians for Automotive Safety, and Center for Auto Safety. She said that other oppositions claim that seatbelts on school buses are not cost effective and that school districts should weigh costs vs. their school systems safety record. Yet they ignore the fact that seatbelts would cost most districts about $1.50 a child per year or less than a penny a day for this added protection. Even districts with proper driver screening and the best safety records, cannot predict the performance of the "other driver". In Battle Mountain alone a school bus slid off of the road and had to be towed. There were no  children in the bus, but if there were some injuries could have happened.

"This is form of Negative Education to or teen drivers" Ms Long told the Senate Committee. "Each time a kid rides a bus without restraints when he is being conditioned not to wear the belts required by state law to wear in his own vehicle.

"Opponents state that "compartmentalization" (protection between high-back padded seats) provides protection, yet they ignore the effects of rear-end, lateral and rollover collisions. During a crash, children become human missiles as they are thrown from their seats,
into one another or into aisles, blocking quick evacuation". "There are over  200 school districts across the nation have adopted seatbelts for safety in their districts. and the report states that usage rates from 80% to 100% of those belts in the buses. She told the committee that the last full crash test studies done were in 1967. When UCLA completed the report it stated. That Eight Inch higher seat belts were needed, Side Compartmentalization should be added by the window and the isle and a seat belt installed to keep the child in one place. In that study, they only thing that happened was that the seat back was increased by only 4 inches, which in fact compromised compartmentalization.

She ended her testimony with a personal note. She said "The day of our bus accident my friend Julie and I wanted to go with our girlfriend in her car. But Mrs. Paulson said to us as we walked out the door. "No Julie and Madonna go on the bus it is much safer" those were the last words she said to her daughter. My friend Julie died sitting next to me. I have given you photo of our bus accident. That is Julie in that photo on the stretcher covered up. We ended up on the road as the bus tore apart. I am not her for me, I am here for the Julies and the Madonna's of the future."

This issue will continue in the next legislative session, with provisions of a study done by the school districts on Seat Belts in School buses. The issue did not die, but got delayed until the next session.

Ms. Long states that she is not sure that the school districts report will show all the data. Yet, she states that she will be here again to prove them wrong and fight for the safety of Nevada's children. She stated how much she appreciated Assemblyman Goicoechea and Carpenters vote for the Children of Nevada. They voted in favor of Seatbelts in School buses in the Assembly.

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