Safest way to travel

The safest way to travel in the United States is on those big yellow school buses.  Accidents are rare and deaths are even rarer.  While the death of any child is a tragedy, the chances of a dying while riding a school bus is so rare that when it happens, it makes national news.

Every day during the school year,  millions of children ride millions of miles on a school bus and seldom have any problems.   In the 63 history of the North Thurston school district no child has ever been killed on the bus or when entering or exiting a bus.   I’m certain the statistics for Tumwater and Olympia school districts are similar.

A school bus in a big cocoon of safety from physical to moral to legal.  Bus seats are padded and close together providing a measure of security.   School buses travel down the road with a bus full of legal protections.   And, most of us have ridden a school bus sometime in our lifetime and understand the precious cargo being carried.

So, efforts to put seat belts on school buses seem ill-conceived.   Only a small handful of states require seat belts on school buses and those that do have problems.  Who’s responsible for making certain the children are buckled up properly?   In the extremely rare case of an accident, what are the legal responsibilities of the school district if a child is improperly buckled up?

But, more significantly, seat belts aren’t needed.   It’s just another feel good, protect our children from everything, product of our modern era.

Those big yellow school buses are the safest way to travel in the United States.  Lets leave it at that.