You wouldn't dream of driving your children anywhere without buckling them in first. So why on earth aren't the buses that we entrust to safely transport our kids to school every day fitted with seat belts? That's the burning question many are asking after a crash in Calgary injured three children.
“I think it’s something that needs to be revisited,” said University of Alberta researcher and ER physician Dr. Louis Francescutti. “Obviously if a child’s seriously injured, the question begs itself: would a seat belt have made a difference?”
According to an article in Global, nearly 300,000 kids in Alberta alone board a bus every day to get to school. And yet no seat belts have been fitted.
For Edmonton mom of four, Shannon Whiting, it's a no-brainer:
"...you’re in a plane, you wear a seat belt, you’re in a roller coaster, you wear a seat belt, you’re in a car, you wear a seat belt. Just about every other vehicle that you’re in you have to wear a seat belt. So, why are school buses so special that you don’t have to wear seat belts on them?”
Of course there's always the possibility that belts could put kids at greater risk if they aren't worn or fitted properly. But isn't that a risk worth taking?
So far the province's Transport Minister Ric McIver is reluctant to react, as studies about belts on buses are "conflicting.”
What's your feeling about this issue?
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