“The data clearly demonstrates a reduction in pupil passenger injuries over the 20-year period as more lap/ shoulder belt equipped school buses were added each year to the California school bus fleet. This reduction is present- ed in terms of absolute numbers of pupil passengers who were injured as well as the reduction in pupil passenger in- juries per million vehicle miles travelled,” the report states. “While this report points out various factors that could have a causal impact on the documented reduction in pupil passenger injuries, the most compelling appears to be the availability and use of lap/shoulder belts.” Charlie Gauthier, retired executive director for the


National Association of State Directors of Pupil Trans- portation Services (NASDPTS) and former chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) school bus program, praised Kinney’s report. “You do not make good public policy at the federal, state


or local levels if you make that policy based on anything other than data and science … the real-world data on lap/ shoulder belts in school buses is crystal clear, particularly after reading Ron Kinny’s report,” he said. “It’s undeniable that mandating lap/shoulder belts in school buses was a good, cost-effective idea for reducing injuries in school bus crashes in the state of California. Other states should read and understand Kinney’s report and think about its implications with respect to their positions on requiring lap/shoulder belts in all new school buses.” Read the full report at stnonline.com/go/belt.


Finding Consensus? NTSB, NHTSA and NASDPTS are among the loudest


voices recommending the installation and use of the restraints. NHTSA encourages lap/shoulder seatbelts on large school buses to reduce the risk of serious inju- ry and death and to protect students in rollover and side-impact crashes but only requires them on small school buses that weigh under 10,000 pounds GVWR. NTSB strongly supports three-point seatbelts on all school buses and has called for their use following crash investigations in at least four recent school bus crashes. The Kinney report notes the 2014 NTSB investigation of a school bus crash in Anaheim, California. The report noted that five serious student injuries would have been worse had they not been wearing lap/shoulder seatbelts. In October, an NTSB preliminary investigation into


the August Leander (Texas) Independent School District crash noted that equipping vehicles with seatbelts wasn’t enough. The school bus involved in the rollover was equipped with the lap/shoulder seatbelts per state law but 36 students were not restrained and thus displaced from their seats during the crash. At a minimum, NTSB said policies and procedures should include: “Mandatory pre-departure driver instruction to students to properly belt and periodic pre-departure inspection by drivers or other staff to ensure that each student is properly belted; periodic


36 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2026


review of onboard video camera footage, when equipped, to verify seatbelt use; and increased training and education of school administrators and staff, bus drivers, parents, and students about proper seat belt use and adjustment, seat belt policies and procedures, the safety benefits of seat belt use, and the importance of being properly belted.” Kinney agreed. “It’s not one size fits all here. It’s a com-


bination of training, of enforcement and of having the equipment on the bus,” he said. Meanwhile, NASDPTS issued guidance in 2020 that


states the association “fully supports requiring the installa- tion and use of lap/shoulder belts in all new school buses.” The position paper notes that states and local jurisdictions should adopt policies requiring students to use the belts and the students should be properly trained on their use. Blue Bird followed suit. In June 2024, it made history as the first OEM to announce lap/shoulder seatbelts as stan- dard safety technology in all its vehicles. In partnership with IMMI, the seatbelts come at no cost to customers. “Some customers, school bus drivers and parents have


dropped tongue-in-cheek comments such as what took you guys so long?” commented Albert Burleigh, the compa- ny’s vice president of North America bus sales. “For nearly 100 years, Blue Bird has led the way in school bus safety. School buses carry the most precious cargo in the world.” He noted that since 1968, federal law has required all new passenger cars sold in the U.S. be equipped with seatbelts. “The vast majority of Blue Bird customers appreciates the enhanced safety provided for students on our school buses,” he added. “It’s never too late to do the right thing.” However, Burleigh said the offering is still in its infan-


cy. “Some customers currently choose non-seatbelt seats or seats designed for lap belts,” he said. “Nonetheless, we are actively educating the market about how lap/shoul- der seatbelts greatly improve student safety. Fortunately, we are noticing a growing number of customers select- ing our standard lap/shoulder seatbelts.” Other OEMs take different approaches. A spokesperson


for IC Bus said the company is “committed to delivering solutions that meet our customer needs while comply- ing with local, state, and federal regulations. By offering a range of seating options, IC Bus enables districts to choose what works best for their unique transportation requirements.” A spokesperson from Thomas Built Buses added that


the OEM will continue to include lap/shoulder seatbelts as standard equipment for states that require them. “School bus safety requirements in the U.S. are set at


the federal and state levels. Thomas Built Buses designs and manufactures vehicles to meet those requirements based on where the bus will be operated. As states adopt different approaches to passenger restraint require- ments, [it] adjusts its vehicle specifications accordingly to ensure compliance,” the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, The National Association of Pupil Trans-


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