Seat Belts in School Buses

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is having a public meeting to discuss whether seat belts should be mandated on large school buses. There has been an ongoing discussion in the past few years regarding whether seat belts are the best way to keep passengers safe in a crash, and this meeting will bring together State and local government policymakers, school bus and seat manufacturers, pupil transportation associations and public interest groups to discuss the issue. Some of the topics that will be addressed are current considerations by State and local governments regarding their choice in instituting a seat belt policy, the types of seat belt systems currently available, recent technology regarding seat belts, the economic impact of mandating seat belts on large school buses, and training and education regarding emergency evacuation procedures that would be necessary if seat belts were required. The public meeting will be held on July 11, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, 480 L'Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. The meeting is open to the public, but participation in the panels is by invitation only.

72 Fed. Reg. 30,739 (June 4, 2007)
[NHTSA proposed regulation]