NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – A crash that killed five children in Tennessee is reviving discussion over whether school buses – considered among the safest vehicles on the road because of their height and bulk – should also be equipped with seat belts.
Only six states mandate seat belts on large buses. Others, including Tennessee, have considered but dropped such legislation in recent years out of concerns including cost – estimated at around $7,000 to $10,000 per bus.
Governor Bill Haslam weighed in on the discussion.
“I think it’s time for all of us to step back, local school boards and the state, and look at the whole school bus process, from how we hire drivers to how we ensure the safety of the equipment to whether there are seat belts on those buses,” Haslam said. “Let’s make certain we don’t have one more of these.”
Until recently, federal regulators didn’t push the idea. That changed a year ago when National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind called for a three-point seat belt on every bus.
The NTSB has made the same recommendation for newly purchased buses, saying seat belts would be especially helpful in side-impact crashes and rollovers.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.