My little boy starts school next year, he has been able to open a seatbelt since he was 3-1/2 to 4 years old, the kind in my car are the pushbutton type. (hard to Operate) If they use the same type of belts that are used on airplanes the “younger children wouldn’t be able to free themselves” is a pretty lame arguement. Thankfully we live close to the elementary school he will be attending. I hope and pray we have seatbelts on those busses before he starts riding them.

A MEN! ATBMAN, Some of the arguments against it were, It would cost to much(probably about a $1.00 to $1.50 a child) when the bus is manufactured, but how much value do you put on a child? You can’t, a child is priceless. Once they are gone all the money in the world will not bring them back, been there and done that, so such a tiny amount for each child seems to be such a trivial argument. Then there’s the side ” the younger children wouldn’t be able to free themselves in case of an emergency” such as a fire. That’s why they need a bus driver’s aid for these really small children as they did have for the handicapped. I would much rather have my child, if I had any that young now, to be strapped in, in case a bus flipped or got T-boned by a semi or a fully loaded, flying low, dump truck! Children come before dollars and inconvenience.

I firmly believe seatbelts saved those kids. Alabama needs to make seatbelts in buses mandatory. Unfortunately the only way that would happen in this state is if they fire more teachers.