As a child, riding on a school bus for field trips never felt really safe. On most school buses there are no seatbelts, so what happens when trouble strikes?
It never crossed most people’s minds until recently.
On Sept. 5, the unthinkable happened. A school bus carrying 27 Apalachee Elementary school students was rear-ended by a cement- mixer truck and crashed into a van. Seven children, along with the bus driver, were rushed to Capital Regional hospital.
One child died, Ronshay Dugan, a third grader. The child died from head injuries according to tdo.com.
This makes a person wonder if this accident could have been avoided if there were seatbelts on school buses.
Seatbelts are not a priority on many local school buses. But this contradicts the many commercials and advertisements emphasizing “wear a seatbelt save a life.”
Where are the seatbelts on school buses?
It’s like not putting a baby in a car seat.
After this accident the school board needs to discuss and decide to place more seatbelts on buses.
This is necessary for school safety. If the schools can provide safety while students are on school grounds; why not provide safety as they leave as well.
It’s a sad day when a child’s life has been lost in an accident that could have been prevented.
Hopefully, now the school officials can wake up and see that children are precious, and it’s time for change within the school system.
Earlena Boswell for the Editorial Board.