Louisiana legislators are among those in the state questioning why a law requiring lap-belts on school buses has been in existence for more than 12 years but no funding exists to enforce it, KSLA News 12 reports.
New light has been shed on the issue since last week’s fatal school bus crash in Chattanooga, Tennessee claimed the lives of six elementary school children.
Louisiana Revised Statute 17:164.2 enacted in 1999 requires that all school buses used in the state primarily for the transportation of students be equipped with occupant restraint systems by no later than June 30, 2004, if the legislator appropriates the necessary funds.
Ken Trull, deputy director of Lousiana’s Highway Safety Commission, tells the station that he sits on a task force that meets weekly to craft a report for the state legislature.
State Sen. Troy Carter authored Louisiana State Resolution 122 that directs the Department of Education “to establish a task force to study and make recommendations regarding student transportation and school bus passenger safety.” Trull added that the task force report is due no later than Jan. 31, 2017.
Meanwhile, those opposed to the lap belts cite compartmentalization, or the egg-carton-like protection afforded to students by cushioned, high-back seats as providing adequate passenger protection.
The National Transportation Safety Board, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration disagree, stating numerous times over the past year or more that compartmentalization only fully works in most frontal and rear collisions. Seat belts, preferably the lap-and-shoulder belt variety, are necessary to keep students contained in their seats for all crashes, including side impacts and rollovers, the feds say.
