Fire & Life Safety

New buses in Houston district will have seat belts

District's decision comes after the federal government says it will work to persuade schools and bus companies to provide seat belts.
Nov. 18, 2015
2 min read

The Houston school district has announced that all of the new buses it buys will have three-point seat belts.

The district's transportation department made the recommendation last week, after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) updated its position and said students should have access to three-point seatbelts.

The announcement also comes about two months after two Houston students were killed when a district bus crashed and went off an overpass onto the road below. (Related: The mother of a 17-year-old girl who died in the crash has sued the Houston district and the bus manufacturer, KPRC-TV says.

With about 215,000 students, the Houston Independent School District is the nation's seventh-largest public school system. Its transportation fleet has about 1,100 school buses.

“If the NHTSA believes three-point seat belts will make our students even safer, we will absolutely act on it,” says Superintendent Terry Grier. The decision drew praise from district bus drivers.

“I want to commend the district for listening to the experts, as well as bus drivers and bus attendants, and making a decision that is in the best interest of children,” says Houston Education Support Personnel Union President Wretha Thomas, who represents district bus drivers and attendants.

MORE: Video from KPRC-TV:

About the Author

Mike Kennedy

Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy, senior editor, has written for AS&U on a wide range of educational issues since 1999.

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