By Aaron Neuman: On May 17, a bus carrying middle school children was involved in a horrific accident with a dump truck on Route 80, killing 10-year-old Miranda Vargas and educator Jennifer Williamson, as well as injuring many others. The driver of the bus was charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter.
Today, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that will require all new school buses in New Jersey to be outfitted with lap and shoulder seat belts, otherwise known as a 3-point seatbelt, instead of the ordinary lap belts that have been in use on buses until now. School bus manufacturers have 180 days to equip their buses with the new seatbelts.
Governor Murphy signed into law a bill that will require all new school buses in New Jersey to be outfitted with lap and shoulder seat belts, otherwise known as a 3-point seatbelt.
— The Lakewood Scoop (@LakewoodScoop) August 26, 2018
Murphy said this is one step in he hopes will be many more to ensure the safety of our children and their chaperones on school buses. The governor said he is unsure that the new law could have helped prevent the deaths of Vargas and Williamson, but he added that he is sure that the new law will make riding a school bus far safer for everyone.
“Every child and every educator and adult chaperone deserves our best effort to protect their safety and the best possible chance of emerging unharmed in the unfortunate event of a school bus accident” said Murphy.
State Senator Sam Thompson, a Republican serving the 12th Legislative district and the sponsor of the bipartisan bill, said that the requirements of the new law complies with suggestions made by the National Transportation Safety Board in a review following two fatal accidents involving school buses in 2016.
Thompson originally proposed the new measures in 2012 and has been fighting for them ever since. “The best way to protect our students is to have them buckle up, and use the same seat belts we all have in our cars nowadays. We know that a lap belt is simply not enough to keep kids safe in a school bus crash” said Thompson.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that nearly 2,500 lives are saved each year due to seat belt use.
That does nothing for us if the kids are not wearing the seatbelts. The law should include that children must use their seatbelts.
THERE ALREADY EXISTS A LAW ABOUT WEARING SEAT BELTS. IT IS UP TO THE PARENTS (!) TO ENFORCE THAT LAW
How are parents supposed to enforce the law of children wearing seatbelts on a bus?? Parents are not on the bus.
Peer pressure.
I applaud the Governor for this new law. It certainly is a step in the right direction. Is there some sort of provision to retrofit the old buses?
now all we need are cameras on the bus to catch all the people who run the red lights.
FWIW. So far in 2018, Lakewood has had the most vehicle related fatalities in all of Ocean County. Parents must educate their kids regarding traffic safety and be responsible. That goes for helmets, reflectors, lights on bikes, kids recklessly riding motorized scooters, 4 wheeler and stand-ups. Strollers in the streets where there are sidewalks, what’s up with that?
The school board and LSTA, as well as other boards and consortium, should require the 3-point seat belts in their bid specifications for student transportation and compel the bus companies to retrofit their buses in order to bid. With the legal service life for buses it could take 10 years before all buses have them. In the interim some children will benefit but others won’t. One life is not more valuable than another.! Also the bus companies should not pass this cost along to the schools. They make more than adequate returns off the backs of taxpayers now.
Ain’t no good can come from Murphy’s Law