NATIONAL COALITION OF SCHOOL BUS SAFETY NEWS 2006

$70 Bus Seat Belt Claim Slammed
August 10, 2006

Note: Australian dollar is worth about 77 cents US.  The $70 Australian is about $54 US.  Still this is the old, timeworn tactic of wildly exaggerating costs to scare off implementation.

Later in the article they estimate that a 20 seat bus would cost 2500 for lap belts  -  that's 125 per seat, for a lap belt.  Most of their figures do not check out.  They play a very nasty game.

THE State Government's claim it would cost $70 million to fit school buses with seatbelts has been rejected by industry experts. The Government used the figure, provided by the Road Safety Advisory Council in March, to declare that it would not be cost-effective to fit the 300-bus fleet.

Seatbelt experts yesterday told The Advertiser that buses could be fitted for between $2000 and $35,000 a vehicle - far less than the $123,456 for each vehicle determined by the Government.

Advisory council chairman Sir Eric Neal, yesterday distanced the body from the $70 million estimate.

"We cannot take any responsibility for the figures. They were prepared by the Department for Transport," he said.

When the council announced the results of its investigation in March, Sir Eric said it would cost a minimum $70 million to fit belts to all 288 Education Department buses.

Yesterday, the Transport Department said the figure covered the costs of seatbelts to 800 buses, including independent and Catholic school vehicles.

Earlier yesterday on ABC radio, Sir Eric stood by the estimate.

"We thought, is it wise to recommend to the Government  spending over $70 million on retrofitting seatbelts to school buses to save what  is basically two serious injuries a year?" he said.

Brad Willshire, the proprietor of Willshire Adelaide Automotive Seating, said yesterday that a 20-seat Toyota Coaster bus could be fitted with lap belts for $2500.

The model is the same as that which crashed on Monday near Karkoo, injuring eight people.

Mr Willshire said sash-style belts would cost $8500. A complete replacement of all seating, with coach-style seats with inbuilt belts and body strengthening, would cost $25,000.

Competitor Adelaide Seat Belt and Seating Specialists quoted $2500 for lap belts, $5000 for the sash style and $23,000 for coach-style seats.

But owner Roger McIver said prices would drop to as low as $15,000 a bus for bulk orders.

Australia's biggest bus manufacturer and fitter of seatbelts, Volgren Australia, says it would cost about $35,000 to fit the average school bus.

Asked if members of his committee had queried the $70 million cost before presenting it to the Government, Sir Eric replied that "the council is not qualified".

Last night, the Transport Department issued a statement saying the figure was based on a 2002 Austroads investigation and data from Western Australia, where seatbelts are now mandatory in school buses.

It said structural strengthening and replacement costs for vehicles too old for retrofitting were part of the calculation.

The department also revealed that the figure was calculated on paying for seatbelts on 800 buses - including Catholic and independent school buses.

Transport Minister Patrick Conlon said it was a "conservative" estimate.

The Australian Medical Association yesterday backed calls by parents of the Karkoo accident victims for seatbelts to be fitted on school buses.

"Seatbelts save lives. That is why, by law, we must wear seat belts in our cars. The same is true for buses, so why should different rules apply?" AMA president Chris Cain said.

XANTHE KLEINIG, CRAIG BILSTIEN, MATT WILLIAMS

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