TESTIMONIES

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To The Connecticut State Assembly Transportation Committee Monday, March 1, 1999

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this written testimony to you today. I do so with the hope of impressing upon you the need for legislation to require the installation of seat safety belts on all school buses. As co-chair of the Clarkstown Council of PTAs Seat Belt Usage Committee and co-author of the report "In Support of Seat Belt Usage on Clarkstown Central School District School Buses" I have had the opportunity to learn a tremendous amount about school bus safety. Because of what I have learned I am thankful that in New York and New Jersey our children have a seat belt to wear whenever they ride a school bus. This is not so in the state of Connecticut. That the children of this state are not afforded the same protections as the children in New York or New Jersey disturbs me so greatly that I feel compelled to support the parents of this state in their advocacy of legislation requiring the provision of seat belts on school buses.

To understand the necessity of having seat belts on school buses you must first understand that "compartmentalization" alone cannot keep children in their seats. Children on school buses ride in well-padded seats that are spaced close together. In order for children to be protected within the compartment, they must remain in their seats; however in the event of a crash, children are flung out of their seats, into the aisles, and even over and under the seats. If a crash sequence results in a rollover situation, the children are hurled all about as the bus flips over. In some instances children have been ejected through the windows of the bus. Further, when the current "compartmentalized" seat was designed 30 years ago, seat belts were part of the original recommendation. Seat belts keep children in their seats allowing for the concept of "compartmentalization" to work as originally intended. Children who do not remain seated are at risk for injury even in the event of sudden stops. An additional benefit of seat belts is that by keeping children in their seats their behavior will improve. As a result, driver distraction will be reduced resulting in safer trips overall.

I presume that this committee is familiar with the arguments presented against seat belt usage such as: improperly positioned belts can cause injury, lap type belts increase head injuries, children will use seat belts as weapons, and that belt usage can impair evacuations. It should be noted that these same arguments did not preclude the Federal Government from requiring installation of lap type seat belts in small school buses, which have the same "compartmentalized" seat as the large buses. Further, the negative information that surrounds the issue of the installation of lap type seat belts on large school buses is based on studies that are outdated, insufficient and in the case of the very widely referenced Transport Canada study - not even conducted the United States. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledged that, "The results of the Canadian tests should be viewed with caution."

Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Highway Safety Transportation Administration have embarked on new studies of this issue. The NTSB was prompted to act because of several recent school bus crashes that resulted in unexpected ejections, fatalities, and injuries to children outside the direct line of crash forces. NHTSA recently released its report regarding transporting pre-school age children on large school buses that recommended that lap type seat belts be voluntarily installed to secure child safety restraint Systems. NHTSA is also reviewing lap belts and other types of restraint systems in an effort to find a suitable method of protecting our nation's children by augmenting the existing protections afforded by compartmentalization. They have specific criteria that must be met with regard to cost effectiveness and ease of use during evacuations. Lap type seat belts absolutely meet these criteria.

Some contend that lap belts are less effective than the three point belts present in cars; however installation of three point systems would require redesigning the existing seat in all school buses. Such a redesign is not yet available. The lap type seat belt is approved for and can be easily and inexpensively retrofitted onto the seats that are already in the buses, making it a cost-effective method of improving safety. There is no reason to jeopardize the lives of the children in this state by denying them the protection that a seat belt can afford on large school buses. Lap type seat belts have been used successfully in numerous school districts throughout the country.

In his recent address made to the National Association for Pupil Transportation on November 2, 1998, Jim Hall, Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said, "We should be concerned about the mixed message we're sending. Seat belts on school buses won't prevent 500 deaths or serious injuries a year. But it seems logical to parents, I'm sure, that since we will be conditioning children to buckle up every time they ride in any motor vehicle, a thousand deaths or serious injuries could be prevented in cars, pickups, minivans and sport-utility vehicle crashes."

Of the many reasons to require seat belt usage in school buses, providing a consistent message is certainly an important one. Parents want their children to be safe and parents want their children to wear their seat belts - always - in all vehicles. Please assist the parents of your state in providing that measure of safety for their children whenever they ride a school bus.

Accordingly, I respectfully ask that this committee proceed with the bill before it to floor of the Connecticut State Assembly. I hope that a vote by its members will result in the adoption of legislation requiring the installation and use of seat belts on all school buses operating in the State of Connecticut.

Respectfully submitted,

Rhea Vogel, Co-Chair
Clarkstown Council of PTAs Seat Belt Usage Committee
17 Termakay Drive
New City, N.Y. 10956

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