Seat Belt Rule Knocked Out of School Bus Safety Package

The Senate Transportation Committee approved legislation Tuesday that would require school districts to replace aging school buses by 1995 to comply with federal safety standards adopted nine years ago.

However, the committee rejected a proposal to require the installation of seat belts in new buses, deciding instead to direct the California Highway Patrol to study whether the lap restraints would improve safety in school buses.

Assemblywoman Gloria Molina (D-Los Angeles), author of the seat belt measure, was visibly disappointed by the outcome but said she is not certain whether she will attempt to continue pushing the bill through the Legislature.

“I think the Legislature is really shortchanging parents and kids,” she told reporters.

Crashes Arouse Concern

School bus crashes in California and other parts of the nation have aroused the concern of parents, who have called for the replacement of older buses and the installation of seat belts.

At Tuesday’s Senate committee hearing, three parents from Long Beach and Elk Grove, whose children were killed in bus accidents last year, testified on the need to improve school bus safety.

But such proposals have met with opposition from school administrators, legislators, bus manufacturers and independent bus operators concerned about increased costs.

By a 9-0 vote, the panel approved the bus replacement bill by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sepulveda). It would require school districts to meet the 1977 federal safety standards for school buses by 1995. The measure is similar to one vetoed last year by Gov. George Deukmejian because it would have cost as much as $175 million.

Katz’s bill would require replacement of about 6,500 buses, of which 1,263 are in Los Angeles, he said. The assemblyman said he would prefer to see the older buses replaced sooner than 1995 but agreed to that date in the hope of winning the governor’s support.

“To me, it’s ludicrous we have to wait until 1995 to make school buses meet 1977 standards,” Katz said.

Deukmejian this year has proposed spending $100 million to replace some of the buses, which cost about $90,000 each.

Molina’s measure would have required all school buses purchased after June 30, 1987, to be equipped with seat belts if the proposed study by the CHP proves that seat belts would enhance safety.

The measure had the backing of the CHP and the PTA, among other organizations. Molina estimated that it would cost between $1,200 and $1,800 per bus to install seat belts.

But by an 8-1 vote, the committee stripped the measure of the seat belt requirement, leaving only the study.

Members of the committee objected to the provision that the requirement on seat belt installation would take effect without separate legislative action.

Sen. John F. Foran (D-San Francisco), chairman of the committee, pointed out that the measure could cost the state $7 million if it proceeds with the Katz plan to replace 6,500 buses.

Both the Katz and Molina measures were sent to the Appropriations Committee for further action.