N. Y. Enacts 1st Measure Calling for Seat Belts on School Buses
Gov. Mario N. Cuomo on Thursday approved a law requiring that large school buses be equipped with seat belts, making New York the first state to enact such a measure.
Seat belts will be mandatory in all school buses manufactured for use in the state after July 1, 1987. Additional padding on seat backs and seat tops also will be required.
While the new law requires safety belts, it will be up to school boards around the state to decide, on a district-by-district basis, whether the belts must be used.
In addition, local boards of education will decide whether to adopt a resolution providing for the retrofitting of present school buses with seat belts and increased seat back padding.
The state earlier enacted the nation’s first mandatory seat belt law for private passenger vehicles.
Cuomo cited a UCLA study that involved buses with high seat backs. “That study concluded that seat belts provide substantial additional protection to school bus passengers seated in high-back seats with efficient padding,” he said.
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