I Don't Get This One

The St. Louis Post Dispatch is indicating that many Illinois educators oppose fitting school buses with seat belts. Apparently, the trouble began when a legislator introduced a bill requiring that all school buses used in the state of Illinois be fitted with the safety devices. Leading the charge against mandating use of the belts are, as incredibly as it seems, The Illinois State Board Of Education and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. (As an aside, out here in California, belts aren't required either.)

Some Illinois districts do require the belts, but others (including Chicago) do not. According to The Post-Dispatch:

But much of the state's educational community say that what may be common sense in a car doesn't apply in school buses, where one driver often must oversee dozens of children [em dash] a potential calamity if they all have to get out of the bus quickly.

We think that the belts should be installed on the buses, because, as the article states, many injuries to children are caused when they are thrown from the bus during a crash. The installation of lap belts would prevent this, therefore, the need for the belts should be obvious.

We remember those films in our drivers' education classes.

Reminder: Please send entries for The Carnival Of Education by 10:00 PM (Pacific) tonight. Details can be found by clicking here.