Dallas County To Get Seat Belts In Busses

Students in Dallas County who take the bus to school may notice that their bus has seat belts. The bus operator has been installing restraints in dozens of school buses ahead of a new law that requires seat belts in new school buses.The deadline to comply with a new law requiring seat belts on newly-purchased school buses is next week, but most districts do not have them.

Most North Texas districts still don't have seat belts, despite a state law requiring them on new school buses purchased after September 1.Seat belts on the busses will protect children if there were to be a bus accident. The law only forces schools to comply if the state pays for the belts, and so far the funding isn't there.

Dallas County Schools is one of the few in the state moving ahead anyway, spending half-a-million-dollars a year installing belts on 235 of its fleet of nearly 1,600 school buses. The state is still studying the need, and other bus operators insist that seat belts are a waste of money. For decades, school buses have been built and designed simply to protect kids without seat belts, however it can cost $10,000 to $15,000 to add seat belts to one new bus. Critics say there are simply too many buses across the state to retrofit the existing fleet.

I am glad that North Texas is finally realizing the importance of seatbelts. Research has found that when used, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. It is very critical to buckle up no matter how much of a hassle one thinks it is.

Information and commentary is provided by Dallas/Fort Worth Bus Accident Attorney Mark Anderson. The Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900 or in Dallas at 214-327-8000. If you have questions about a bus accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

Labels: attorney Bus Accidents Bus Crash Bus Wreck Dallas/ Fort Worth lawyer Seat Belts

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