“ This case is a gut-wrenching reminder that failure to act on our recommendations can lead to unimaginable – and preventable – tragedy . School buses are often praised for their safety record , but we ’ ve become complacent . Children ’ s lives are at stake . The time to act is now .”
“ This case is a gut-wrenching reminder that failure to act on our recommendations can lead to unimaginable – and preventable – tragedy . School buses are often praised for their safety record , but we ’ ve become complacent . Children ’ s lives are at stake . The time to act is now .”
( Excerpt from press statement by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy relating to school bus fatality crash in Decatur TN .)
An Interview with Molly McGee Hewitt : 2025 NAPT Statement On Seat Belts & School Buses
What can you tell us about the new NAPT statement on seat belts ?
Our new statement , which was recommended by the members of our Public Policy Committee and adopted unanimously by our Board , relies on our belief that our members must be empowered and enabled to make decisions that meet the needs and priorities of their communities and schools . The new statement does not take an official position on the overall viability or efficacy of seat belts , but it does clarify ( 1 ) we ’ d recommend that districts considering the installation of seat belts purchase only three-point lap-and-shoulder belts and ( 2 ) we believe that lap belts are insufficient for safety purposes . We cannot definitively address the question of viability or efficacy as an industry association , but we can offer members our reasonable judgment based on information available to us . The statement draws upon the work that the NTSB has conducted subsequent to several school bus fatality accidents . NTSB has strongly recommended that the industry install and properly use seat belts ( lap-shoulder belts ) on school buses . They have demonstrated through their accident re-creations that lives were lost in the absence of seat belts , and that lives would have been saved and injuries prevented if seat belts had been in place .
We felt that we could not ignore those findings and recommendations any longer . Our position had been that we wanted to rely on science . In all other aspects of transportation safety , NTSB ’ s word is the gold standard .
What does the statement say ?
The new statement :
• Accepts as valid and important the findings and recommendations of the National Transportation Safety Board related to the efficacy of seat belts in the fatality accidents they have investigated . The specific wording of the statement is that we “ are aligning NAPT with the numerous findings and recommendations from the NTSB suggesting that the use of lap-shoulder belts would increase safety on school buses and would have prevented fatalities in cases investigated by NTSB .”
• Recognizes that serious work remains to be done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA ) around testing in the event of side impact crashes , water events or thermal ( or fire ) events . But we determined that such additional research and testing should not preclude a statement that accepts the safety benefits evidenced by and recommendations made by NTSB .
24 | SCHOOL-BUSRIDE . COM | MARCH 2025