BELTS: Buses need them

A rebuttal to “No Seat belts on school buses:”

When I reported to duty, to my Air Force base in 1960, I was not allowed to drive my car onto the base because I didn’t have seat belts installed. No cars had seat belts then, so drivers had to get them installed. The base garage installed them for free. If you were caught not wearing your belts on base, you got a weekend of extra duty.

The military knew that injured or dead Airmen couldn’t fulfill there duties, and seat belts prevented injuries, and death. I returned from Europe in 1970 and visited my mother. She owned the school bus franchise for Bozeman, Mont. I toured the bus barn and noticed that there were no seat belts in the buses, and when I asked why, she got very angry and told me all of the very ignorant reasons. Bus driver responsibilities, fire, etcetera.

The writer of “Against Belts” quoted number of deaths, which is low, but no mention of the injuries children have suffered. A child is safer in your car unbelted than in any school bus. Your car is padded; the buses are not. The seats are made out of steel tube with very little padding.

Two years ago, a school bus went off a icy road north of Spokane and hit a tree. Out of 32 students, 28 were injured and taken to the hospital. Injuries were typical; broken bones and lacerations. All students were released that evening. Facial lacerations are the most common injury, and permanent scarring can result.

Children now automatically connect their belts in the family car, as they will on the bus, because they are conditioned to do so. If you want your children to be very safe, make all seats face the rear of the bus. In all military passenger transport planes since the early ’60s, the seats face the rear of the plane. With your back against the seat you will minimize neck and/or head injuries. Seat belts should be available on Greyhound buses. In every Greyhound accident, the passengers are all injured because they are tossed from their seats.

Coeur d’Alene is to be congratulated for the intelligence, and the caring, for the safety of their students. In the face of obstinate ignorance, there will always be resistance to safety.

TERRANCE WOLFERMAN

Coeur d’Alene