‘School buses are very safe;’ Task force hosts second public hearing

Ohio’s new School Bus Safety Task Force finished its second public hearing on Monday, Sept. 25.

News Center 7 was the first to report on this task force after Governor Mike DeWine (R-OH) announced it just days after 11-year-old Aiden Clark died when a van hit his school bus not far from Springfield last month.

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DeWine told News Center 7′s John Bedell that this group was spurred by the tragedy in Clark County.

But they’re looking at what could impact busses here in Greene County and across the entire state.

“I know there’s a task force and they’re trying to improve the safety after the accident up in Clark County,” Jamestown resident Martha Gaskell said.

Those who attended were asked what they feel is most important for this working group to look at when it comes to school bus safety.

“I was a student many years ago. We didn’t have seatbelts on the bus. I don’t know if all buses do or not. But I think that’s very important,” Gaskell said.

Jessica Brock, a Spring Valley mother, shares that concern with Gaskell as her son is getting ready to start school next year.

“Honestly, it wasn’t until I had him that I was like, why don’t they have seat belts? You know?” Brock said.

DeWine said this task force will take a holistic look at school bus safety.

Brock continued to say vetting bus drivers is very important to her.

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“Someone safe, to be driving kids around, someone who is going to pay attention and drive right,” Brock said.

The task force will look at driver licensing, certification, and training.

It will continue to look at how school bus safety can potentially improve and maybe even ease concerns from parents like Brock.

“I’ve definitely had a few times where I’m like, what do I do when he has to ride a school bus? It kind of makes me after these things, makes me not want to go on a school bus. Makes me want to just drive him,” Brock said.

Gaskell said school bus safety isn’t just about the buses themselves, but the responsibility of everyone to be safe around school buses.

“I’ve seen a lot of people pass the busses when they’re stopped or getting ready to stop. And I think it’s just on all of our all of us, the responsibility to drive slower and be more careful,” Gaskell said.

At Monday’s public hearing, there was a lot of focus on seatbelts, but it wasn’t the only topic.

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The task force also reviewed data from crashes involving school buses in the state over the last five years.

State troopers told the group that those wrecks have accounted for .4% of all crashes in the state over that time.

“School buses are very safe on Ohio’s roadways,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Sergeant Trevor Jasper said.

The first hour of Monday’s meeting included a presentation from a National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) official and questions from the group followed.

In November, the federal agency renewed its recommendation that states should require that all new large school buses have seat belts.

Ohio is not one of the states that require them.

After the presentation, the task force members had questions about whether seat belts might actually hurt kids in a crash as they would hold them in place near the point of impact from another vehicle.

The question of, “I just worry that we’re pinning our kids in,” was asked.

NSTB Office of Highway Safety Deputy Director Kristin Poland said there could be a benefit from a restraint system.

“You’re always at risk if you’re in the intrusion zone, That’s what’s very challenging. In the crashes we’ve investigated, and we’ve looked at that real-world outcome, we’ve that we’ve seen a benefit for the restraint system,” Poland said.

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Another person asked if children would be able to unbuckle themselves quickly in case of an emergency.

“The button depression is designed to be very easily done by the children that ride on it. So it’s not challenging for them to unbuckle themselves,” Poland said.

Regarding the potential for seat belts to impede first responder’s ability to get children out of school buses, Former Clark County Prosecutor and current Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson asked a question.

“In all of your studies, have you come across any situations where the presence of seatbelts impeded first responders or others from being able to get these kids out in case of a fire or water immersion?” Wilson asked.

Poland replied, “No.”

The task force has three more public meetings between now and the middle of November.

After that, the group will issue a written report with recommendations for the governor and state lawmakers in December.