Pastor Ross is a Guest Editorialist
with the Daily Herald Newspaper, Naperville, IL.

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"I get a vision of middle school students with seat belts, and the behavior issues that might result from that," said Patt Decker, director of support services for Indian Prairie Unit District 204, which covers portions of Naperville, Aurora and Bolingbrook. "The kids would be hitting each other with the belts."

Decker and other officials say they think legislation to require seat belts in all new school buses could cause more harm than good.

Karen Azman, a veteran bus driver and contract manager with First Student transportation, can attest to that. Some of her company's buses already include seat belts to transport young children in Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn and Bloomingdale who don't understand they need to remain seated.

"They buckle (the seat belts) below the seat frame in the aisle to trip people," Azman said, adding that in other instances children use the buckle as a toy weapon. "They really like to use it to swing at people."

Elizabeth Myers, director of transportation for Naperville Unit District 203, said she worries seat belts could cause abdominal injuries to younger students.

But at least one bus driver said she thinks the belts could be a good idea.

"In most crashes, if a person has a seat belt, the chance of them being seriously injured is lessened significantly," said Barbara Ross, a driver for Laidlaw Education Services bus company in Naperville.

Though some officials say it would be difficult for a driver to make sure students use their seat belts, Ross disagrees.

She drives a special education bus, in which children are required to buckle up.

"Most, if not all of my kids, put on their seat belts automatically," she said. "They're so used to doing it in their parents' cars."

And if the kids choose not to buckle up, it's not the end of the world, she said.

"I think the seat belts should be available, but it should not be mandatory for the children to wear them," she said.

Bob Rutkoski, Laidlaw general manager for northern Illinois, said he's just as concerned about perceived inequity as he is about safety.

Most school buses are good for 10 to 15 years, he said. That means it could be more than a decade before a school district or transportation company would replace an older bus with one that has seat belts.

"What message are they sending to the other students who are riding in buses without seat belts?" he said.

Rutkoski also is concerned about bus capacity. Most buses seat 72 children, with three in each seat.

Installing a three-point restraint system would mean only two students could be in each seat, reducing the bus capacity to 48. "That means more buses on the road, and more potential for accidents," he said.

Pastor Ross can be reached at pastorross@philiprcousinamec.org