Seat Belt Policy
Seat Belt Usage...HF-L Transportation
Leads the Way in Safety
By: Adam Lewis
"School Bus Collides with NJ Transit Bus, Several Injured", "6 Killed in Horrific Tenn. School Bus Crash", "Police, NTSB Investigate Baltimore School Bus-MTA Bus Crash that Killed Both Drivers, 4 Passengers." These are the tragic headlines that have permeated their way into the nation's news feeds. Horrific incidents such as these cause everyone to stop and take notice; especially those who make a living working in the transportation industry. In 2015, the National Transportation Safety Board began to change their stance on the usage of lap and shoulder belts on school buses, stating that every student should be provided 3Pt. passenger restraints on their school bus. Previously, they have had a neutral position on Seat Belts in School Buses. Since 1987, in New York State, it is required that all school buses come equipped with lap belts, but usage is not mandated. In combination with recent school bus-related accidents and NTSB's recommendation at the 2015 National Association of Pupil Transportation conference, our Transportation Department began to examine our position on Seat Belt usage.
Throughout the 2015-2016 School Year, we looked very closely at the practicality of having every student, on every bus, wear their Seat Belt. After a number of driver studies, visits to other school districts and a presentation by a spokesperson for IMMI Seat Belt, we elected to make Seat Belt usage mandatory for all students, in grade K-5, for the 2016-2017 School Year. Not only has this decision kept the students safer, but it has also assisted with better behavior management on the buses. Upon review of how the 2016-2017 year has progressed in regards to Seat Belt usage, we are now moving forward with mandating usage for grades K-12. We will put this into full effect following Spring Break on April 24th.
Not only is HF-L staying ahead of the safety curve in terms of Seat Belt usage, but also in terms of what type of Seat Belt are being used. IMMI, one of the top Seat Belt manufacturers in the country, are now producing three-point shoulder harnesses for school buses. These belts are just like the shoulder harness in personal vehicles. The safety benefits of having such belts built into the buses are exceptional, especially in the case of rollovers and head-on collisions. In November of 2016, HF-L purchased a bus fully equipped with three-point shoulder harnesses, and it was the first such bus in operation in the Monroe County area. We plan on having all future buses set-up in the same fashion for optimal student safety. Many states have proposed legislation which would make it mandatory that all school buses be built with shoulder belts. With safety always in the foreground, HF-L's Transportation Department is fully dedicated to adopting whatever practices possible to protect the students.
The Transportation staff takes pride in pioneering the way and will continue to make sure that the equipment used to transport our students is innovative and groundbreaking. Through Transportation's "outside the box" approach, regarding the implementation of mandatory Seat Belt usage for all grade levels and purchasing buses with three-point shoulder belts, we feel we're meeting our goal of surpassing national standards in pupil transportation.
