Posted on 02/19/2008 7:04:24 PM PST by Kimmers
Check out the link in post #7. The NEA does object to seat belts on schoolbuses.
Public and private schools all use the same schoolbus companies.
I assume you mean manufacturing companies. I only say that because where I live the buses are owned by the schools or school district.
So maybe this is a 'top-down' conspiracy issue where the NEA is controlling major agencies in the government also.
Of course.......we all know that the NEA is all powerful and controls EVERYTHING!!!!
ROFLMSS!
It is next to impossible to make sure that all students keep their belts properly fastened, so that they are not injured by the belts in an accident.
The legal ramifications of this one item alone are enough that seat belts will never be in school buses except for the driver. Well maybe not never.
I could be wrong, but the incident rate involving school buses in accidents seems to be fairly low. I would guess that since: 1. they are so big; 2. the cargo carried; 3. they are normally driven at a fairly low speed that school buses appear to be a more safe form of driven transportation that this may be an exception to the rule.
This is, of course, conjecture, but I don’t see a whole lot of school bus accidents anywhere. Compare this, say, to your average big city and number of vehicle accidents there per day.
That said, prayers up to the families.
Oh, and let me know if you get answers to your questions. I won’t be holding my breath, I need it to teach.:)
The NEA is just one part of the picture. There are no seat belts in any type of public transportation.
I happen to be a big believer in child seats and seat belts. Our family uses them every time we’re in the car. But, it’s hypocritical how the state will penalize a parent for not securing a child in the “proper” seat. Yet, buses, trains, and schoolbuses all operate without seat belts.
The reasons put forth are flimsy excuses. Like you said, it’s really about money. Politicians don’t want to invest in the important things when there are jobs to protect and friends upon whom to bestow special favors. ;-)
I don’t even want to imagine the pain the families are going through. They will need prayer for a long time I would think.
You bring up an interesting point about money. If I can find the article I will post it, but there was something in the WAPO about 6 months or so ago about how Fairfax county was paying to take the seat belts OUT of their buses because of dangerous issues. In addition, they are not ordering any new buses with seat belts. I’ll have to look around for that later. Lunch is too short for lots of research, but I wonder if anyone else has seen a county install seat belts, then take them out later.
Re: #7.
I read the NEA article. I am NOT a fan of the NEA, but they do a nice job of being balanced about the issue and cite a study about how inconclusive seatbelts are on busses.
I stand by what I say in my first post.
I must’ve been typing #49 while some of you were posting the same thought.
Gov’t running something is what ruins it or makes it unsafe. But, the NEA is a part of the problem. If the NEA started lobbying for seat belts on schoolbuses, there would be seatbelts on schoolbuses because the NEA has the power to affect votes.
One cannot deny the double standards applied to parents versus schools. A couple I’ve noticed through the years in our own district:
* Seat belts and car seats must be used by parents while driving their children. Yet, seat belts are dangerous if used by schoolbus drivers while driving the same children.
* A child should never be left alone in their own home unsupervised. Yet, a child as young as 8 is perfectly capable of walking a mile to school alone unsupervised.
FTR, we use seat belts and we supervise our kids. But those double standards are interesting.
I merely showed what the arguments against seatbelts were. I really took no side.
but while we’re at it....
Who is going to enforce the wearing of belts, and how will they do it?
Try to imagine the lawsuits and charges of molestation if an adult tried to even “assist” a student with their belt?
No question this was a tragic accident and as was said in a previous post, prayers for these folks are going to be needed for a long time.
But with that said, would evils of the NEA have been invoked if this accident involved any bus other than one from a public school? I think not, and I say that because the question has not been answered.
The NEA, of which I am no fan, is just a red herring here and does not belong in the discussion.
There are legitimate arguments for and against seatbelts on buses, any type of bus.
Perhaps they should be lobbying for a change, but then, perhaps the NHSTB should look into the research and make a decision.
Oh wait, they did, and they determined it was inconclusive.
Whenever a (non-school) bus or train crashes, I question the gov't and the public transportation system's lower safety standards on public transport. In school transport, the NEA has some power and has taken a stance on the issue, and that's why it is mentioned.
Btw, we're all assuming these children weren't wearing seat belts, but the article makes no mention of it. For all we know, this bus could've been specially equipped with them, though I doubt it.
What power do they have in regard to private school transport?
Btw, we're all assuming these children weren't wearing seat belts, but the article makes no mention of it. For all we know, this bus could've been specially equipped with them, though I doubt it.
Your doubt would most likely be correct. However, I would not blame the media, they can only report the information they are given. And there is a major bias in the information given in these instances. The government does not support seatbelts in buses, any type of bus, therefore the government entity issuing the information in regard to this incident will not mention the issue.
Many moons ago, when I was a reporter it was very easy for me to determine whether a seatbelt was being worn when I was getting info on a fatal crash because there was no mention of such in the press release. If no reference to a seatbelt was mentioned I always asked and without fail the answer was always either YES the victim was wearing a seatbelt or a hedging "Um, I don't have that info".
“The NEA, of which I am no fan, is just a red herring here and does not belong in the discussion.
There are legitimate arguments for and against seatbelts on buses, any type of bus.”
I notice the red herring poster hasn’t returned to back up her statement! :)
That is the MO of this particular poster. When confronted with a direct question she disappears. I'm still waiting for an answer to a direct question from over the weekend (I won't bother going back further than that)
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