Parents generally ensure their children buckle up in the car, but kids riding a bus to school likely won't have a seat belt.
There is a state law that requires seat belts on buses, but it's only effective if the state provides funds to the school districts.
The state set aside $10 million for seat belts on school buses in 2009, but only four districts ended up with the money.
Within two years, less than $500,000 was used on seat belts. The Texas Education Agency said part of the other $9.5 million went to the general fund and the remaining money was allocated to other commissioner priorities.
Sen. Edie Lucio is on the senate committee for education and sponsored the original bill. He recently told Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick that the state needs to “develop recommendations to provide guaranteed state funding to equip all school buses in Texas with three-point seat belts.”
Dallas County schools received about $250,000 for seat belts, which covered 25 buses. The county uses more than 2,000 buses, so they had to spend nearly $7 million for the rest.
Todd Tracy, an attorney who specializes in vehicle safety, said bus crash demonstrations show that children need to be in a seat belt if a bus is hit or rolls over.
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"When I drive them to school, I'm required by law to have them in a three-point seat belt or in a booster seat," said. "Why wouldn't the school districts that take these children to and from school or to and from an activities have three point belts?"
The National Transportation Safety Board insists that riding a school bus — with or without a seat belt — is safer than parents driving their child to school.
Online: Texas Education Agency's Bus Accident Reporting System
