Bill would codify NTSB school bus safety recommendations

“America’s school buses lack much of the essential safety equipment protecting us in our cars every day, which is why the Center for Auto Safety commends Representative Cohen for the reintroduction of the School Bus Safety Act. The School Bus Safety Act would protect schoolchildren with effective seat belts and fire prevention, modernize the school bus fleet with automatic emergency braking and electronic stability control, and put in place better data collection on school bus crashes.” — Michael Brooks, Executive Director, Center for Auto Safety

October 22, 2024

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, today reintroduced the School Bus Safety Act to implement safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), including installation of seat belts for every seat and safety measures such as stability control and automatic braking systems. The measure, being introduced during National School Bus Safety Week, would also create a grant program to help school districts modify their school buses to implement the safety specifications. Congressman Cohen first introduced a version of the bill in 2018. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio have introduced a companion measure in the Senate.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“There is no more precious cargo than school-aged children entrusted by their parents for a ride to school. The commonsense measures recommended by the NTSB and called for in this legislation will save young lives. I am pleased to reintroduce this legislation with Senators Duckworth and Brown to make school buses across the country safer while helping financially strapped school districts modify their school bus fleets to meet the new specifications. We’ve seen too many deaths and serious injuries in school bus accidents in Tennessee and elsewhere, and it is past time we act to save young lives.”

“Congressman Cohen is a champion for transportation safety, and I applaud his sponsorship of the School Bus Safety Act,” National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said. “School buses are often touted as the safest vehicles on our roads, and yet the NTSB continues to investigate crashes that result in preventable fatalities and injuries involving children, adults who accompany them, and other road users. I’m pleased that the legislation introduced by Rep. Cohen would advance longstanding NTSB safety recommendations, such as requiring school buses to have three-point safety belts and collision-avoidance technology, among other vital safety enhancements. Every school bus crash serves as a painful reminder of the cost of inaction. I thank Rep. Cohen for his leadership and look forward to working with Congress to ensure U.S. school buses are as safe as possible. The NTSB will not rest until the number of lives lost to school bus tragedies is ZERO.”

The School Bus Safety Act would require the Department of Transportation issue rules requiring all school buses include:

A three-point safety belt, which includes a seat belt across a lap as well as a shoulder harness to help protect passengers by restraining them in case of a collision;
An Automatic Emergency Braking System, which helps prevent accidents and crashes by detecting objects or vehicles ahead of the bus and braking automatically;
An Event Data Recorder (EDR) that can record pre- and post-crash data, driver inputs, and restraint usage when a collision does occur;
An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System that will use automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver to remain in control of the vehicle;
A Fire Suppression System, which addresses engine fires; and
A Firewall that prohibits hazardous quantities of gas or flame to from passing from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2013 to 2022, there were 976 fatal school-transportation-related crashes, and 1,082 people of all ages were killed in those crashes — an average of 108 fatalities per year. Congressman Cohen has been a strong advocate of increasing school bus safety, originally introducing this legislation in September of 2018.

The School Bus Safety Act is supported by the National Safety Council, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, the Center for Auto Safety, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and Consumer Reports.

Endorsing organization statements:

“Every child deserves to get to and from school safely,” said Lorraine Martin, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “This critical legislation will ensure school buses are equipped with the latest in life-saving technology, including seat belts — a common-sense solution that keeps kids safe. We commend Rep. Cohen for his leadership and look forward to working with him and his Congressional colleagues to advance this measure and protect our country’s youngest travelers.”

“Every child deserves a safe journey to and from school, and no family should endure the heartbreak of losing a child in a preventable crash. Essential protections like three-point seat belts and automatic emergency braking (AEB) should be standard on all school buses to help prevent and reduce the impact of crashes. We are grateful to Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) for championing the School Bus Safety Act in the House of Representatives to ensure vulnerable child passengers are secure.” said Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates)

“When children are traveling on a school bus, it is imperative that there are commonsense safeguards in place to protect and keep them safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long advocated for needed improvements to school bus safety that can save lives and prevent serious injuries, including seat belts and other safety measures. We applaud Representative Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) for introducing the School Bus Safety Act and call for its swift passage. It is time we enact these long overdue safety measures,” said American Academy of Pediatrics President Benjamin Hoffman, MD, FAAP.

“Child safety is the chief concern for parents—during the school day and while traveling to and from school,” said Yvonne Johnson, president of National PTA, the nation’s oldest and largest child advocacy association. “PTA supports standards, regulations and features to help keep children safe while they board, exit and ride on school buses, and our association applauds Representative Cohen for introducing the School Bus Safety Act.”

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View the release from Congressman Steve Cohen here.