Bus safety pushed to local forefront

By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
November's bus wreck in Huntsville that claimed the life of four students left many people calling for seatbelts in school buses, an issue that was discussed anew at last week's meeting of state and education officials in Montgomery.
Don Cox, Russellville Director of Transportation, said Tuesday that if and when studies determine seatbelts in buses would, in fact, save lives, he has no doubt that appropriate action will be taken.
"Safety is what drives everything when it comes to the construction and use of these buses," Cox said. "If studies show that seatbelts on buses would save lives, then that's the direction that the state will go in. Just about every study I've seen up until this point has been 50-50 on whether or not seatbelts would make that kind of difference. From what I understand, even if there had been seatbelts on the bus involved in the Huntsville wreck, those fatalities still would have occurred."
Cox also said that the installation and use of seatbelts on school buses would probably necessitate more buses and more bus drivers, thereby increasing the cost to respective school systems.
"Realistically, on a lot of buses right now there are three or four kids on one seat," Cox said. "If you look at putting two seatbelts per seat, then the number of students that can ride on one bus decreases. The school system would have to use more buses, which means employing more bus drivers. The costs could potentially double.
"That being said, if the use of seatbelts would protect even one child or save one child's life, then it would be well worth it. And if that's the case, I'm sure it will happen, because safety is the No. 1 concern for everyone involved."