Coventry's Rep. Bobby Nardolillo Says Big School Buses Should Have Seat Belts

COVENTRY, RI—After a school bus crash Monday killed six children in Chattanooga, Tenn., state Rep. Robert Nardolillo has vowed to re-introduce a bill to make seat belts mandatory on the big buses.

"I feel passionately about this," said Nardolillo, who has sponsored similar legislation twice before but unsuccessfully.

After researching the pros and cons for a year, he said, he has concluded the cost would add $6,000 to $8,000 to the price of a new bus, and over the vehicle's nine to 12 year life, that sum seems modest, given the public safety issues.

"We're not talking about retrofitting" buses already on the road, he explained.

Nardolillo said small school buses currently are equipped with seat belts, but the large buses are not. They were designed before seat belts were required in any type of vehicle, he said, and studies about bus safety failed to consider rollover accidents and collisions on the rear or side of the buses.

No question, he said, seat belts save lives and prevent injuries. He wants Rhode Island to be proactive on this issue and not wait until a child dies in a bus accident to take action.