DRIVING THE INDUSTRY SINCE 1991
£ Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana tells the audience that all parents need to see seat-belt safety demonstrations like the school bus crash test at IMMI.
NHTSA, parent-teacher organizations, local emergency services and the national school bus industry that lap-shoulder seat belts can curb bad student behavior as well as bus driver distraction. “We know there are no more excuses for putting our children at risk,” he said. Gray noted an IMMI survey conducted
last fall show that 93 percent of bus drivers have witnessed bullying on their school bus,
and from national surveys 85 percent of parents want the added protection of three-point restraints for their children. “Te time to talk about the benefits of safer school buses is now,” he added. “It’s up to all of us to be informed so we can make the best decisions possible to keep our children safer on the school bus.” James Johnson, vice
president of marketing and business development for IMMI, also provided
information that he said “debunks” the reasons historically used for why seat belts on school buses are unnecessary. He said reduced capacity is no longer an issue because school bus seats with three-point belts now allow three elementary-age stu- dents or two high school-age students on a standard seat.
As for the argument that compartmental-
ization affords adequate student protection, Johnson said that is only the case when rid- ers face forward and don’t extend into the aisle. Otherwise, as side-impact and rollover crashes have shown, students can be thrown out of their seating compartment. Johnson also said retractable lap-shoulder belts make it nearly impossible for students to use the restraint systems as weapons, and that IMMI has had zero reports of such incidents from its school bus clients, which transport more than 700,000 students nationwide. He rebutted arguments that lap-shoulder belts hinder evacuation, saying students who are less likely to be injured in a crash because they are wearing the seat belts are also better able to release them- selves from the restraint and evacuate more quickly than an injured child. Johnson concluded that though it costs
an additional $7,500 to $10,000 to purchase a school bus equipped with lap-shoulder seat belts, this price has fallen by as much as 53 percent per occupant since 2003.
Visit
safeguardseat.com/school-bus-safety-101 to view crash videos and presentations from the event.
to the From the
CROSSINGGU RD Helps Keep Kids Safe
SCHOOL BUS ARM ENFORCEMENT
Making Life Safer and Easier on the Road Ahead™ Making Life Safer and Easier on the Road Ahead™
See Us At Booth #944
www.stnonline.com 21
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