Alabama study says school bus seat belts aren’t needed

From The Montgomery Advertiser: School buses are safe enough without seat belts, and students in many cases ignore a requirement to wear them, according to a study in Alabama. The study was ordered by Gov. Bob Riley after four students were killed in 2006 when a school bus without seat belts nose-dived from an overpass in Huntsville. Following that accident, federal transportation officials required new, smaller school buses to be equipped with lap-and-shoulder belts by 2011. The three-year Alabama study found the straps would save the life of about one child every eight years. It also concluded that putting belts on most buses is expensive -- about $11,000 to $15,000 per bus, and requires larger seats, reducing the number of students who can sit on the bus. In many cases, the study found that students don't put on the belts and drivers complained they couldn't see the children.