Letter of the day: School bus safety: Focus on seats, not belts

Updated: February 27, 2008 - 6:31 PM

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As a retired Eden Prairie school bus driver, I can tell you that spending 28 years with my "precious cargo" was a thrilling experience. Their safety was always my top concern, and still is today. The tragic loss of four budding lives is a driver's worst nightmare. As always, in this kind of horror, safety resurfaces.

Much has been said and written about safety belts and related issues. I would like to add this: Turn the seats around to face the rear. Raise the seat height to prevent whiplash. That would reduce injuries because the impact force would be absorbed by the seats. A wide-angle mirror mounted above the back door, or a TV camera with an in-dash monitor for the driver, would monitor passenger behavior. Seat belts should not be used. They would be unused or used as weapons and would make it extremely difficult to evacuate the bus quickly in case of emergency.

We pray for the families, and we pray this never happens again.

JUDY BEST, EDEN PRAIRIE

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