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Abstract
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In 1977, 1,711 school bus accidents occurred in California, resulting in 314 injuries. In 1996, the number of accidents rose to 2,048--an increase of only twenty percent--while the number of injuries more than doubled to 769. This disproportionate increase over the past twenty years seems counterintuitive, and suggests that bus riding presents a threat to the safety of California's children.
Since 1985, the California Legislature has attempted to change school bus regulations to increase student safety on five separate occasions. All but one bill failed. The only bill to pass was a 1986 law that simply required the California Highway Patrol to conduct a study on the feasibility of all-belt systems on school buses. That study, which was completed in 1987, found that the evidence "weighed against new lap belt policies for Type I 6 school buses." The California Highway Patrol concluded that the data did not support making such a costly change to current school bus safety standards.
Despite that finding, Chapter 648 changes the previous safety standard for school buses by adding a combination lap and shoulder belt at all seating positions and increasing the safety instructions given to pupils. Chapter 648 represents the most significant change to California school bus safety laws in more than fifteen years. California's children will finally get the protection that was proposed by the Legislature a decade-and-a-half earlier.
Language: en |