Getting your player ready...
WASHINGTON — As almost a half-million school buses this week began the annual ritual that will take them an estimated 4.2 billion miles by the time school lets out next spring, federal authorities have concluded that equipping them with seat belts is an unnecessary expense.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rejected a petition by safety advocates who sought a federal mandate to require school bus seat belts.
“We care deeply about schoolchildren and feel that the steps we’ve taken are in the best interests of safety,” said Ronald Medford, deputy administrator at NHTSA.
The agency said that large school buses are among the safest modes of transportation, with a fatality rate six times lower that passenger cars.
