Ron Kinney hopes California’s student injury data in school bus crashes serves as a blueprint for the rest of the U.S. to adopt lap/shoulder seatbelts.

When California became the first state in the nation to implement lap/shoulder seatbelts on school buses in 2004, many in the industry viewed the occupant restraints as unnecessary luxury items. But 20 years of data now tells a much more compelling story, resulting in injury declines and calmer school bus interiors for drivers.

Kinney, who served as state director of school transportation for the California Department of Education from 1983-1997, compiled 30 years of crash data from the California Highway Patrol’s annual “School Bus Crash and Pupil Passenger Injury Summary Report.” Kinney tracked the 10 years prior to and 20 years after the state law went into effect in 2002 that requires all newly purchased school buses after July 1, 2025 be equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts.

The law led to the development of the current FMVSS 222 requirements for lap/shoulder seatbelts in all Type A school buses nationwide.

Kinney’s data calculates a 74.5 percent decrease in the absolute number of school pupil passenger injuries since 2004. In terms of passenger injuries “per million vehicle miles” traveled, the report tracked a 45.5 percent decrease over the past 20 years.

Meanwhile, the data finds that as the percentage of California school buses equipped with lap/shoulder belts increased incrementally since 2004, “it is reasonable to believe that school pupil passenger injuries will continue to decrease as more school buses equipped with lap/shoulder belts are added to the state fleet.”

Nine of the 10 years prior to the implementation of lap/shoulder seatbelts, student passenger injuries ranged between 425 and 760 per school year, with the height of injuries being 1,112 in the year 2000. There was no information on why the injuries spiked. But 2000 also saw the most school buses on the road (26,291) and the highest number of miles traveled (367,893,624) during that 10-year period before seatbelts.

Meanwhile, in the 20 years after the lap/shoulder seatbelt law went into effect, injuries declined. In 2005, 400 students were injured. During the 2013-2014 school year, 266 injuries were reported. Injuries dropped to 136 the following year. However, the 2015-2016 school year saw a spike to 313 injuries, with the most school buses on the road (28,982) and miles traveled (283,812,564) in the 20-year span. Those resulted in the most school bus crashes (1,886) as well. The 2023-2024 school year, the most recent data collected, saw 131 passenger injuries.

The report states that several factors need consideration when attempting to draw conclusions from the data. These include lap/shoulder belts having a positive impact in reducing pupil passenger injuries per million miles, California’s reduction in regular education home-to-school transportation, and expansion of special education home-to-school transportation.

Additionally, the report cites the increased number of California school buses equipped with lap/shoulder belts and the number of pupil passengers wearing lap/shoulder belts. Kinney writes that the reduction of driver distractions from pupil passengers who are now belted in and less able to misbehave has led to a reduction in driver turnover. The reduction in disciplinary problems and driver distractions also reduces the risk of crashes caused by driver errors.

“This also contributes to reduced driver turnover by creating a safer, less stressful and more rewarding work environment,” the report states. “By physically containing students, these belts address the primary stressors that lead drivers to leave the profession.”

The report also touches on the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the 2014 Anaheim, California school bus crash, which resulted in a school bus leaving the roadway and striking a concrete light post after the driver fell unconscious. The bus continued up an embarkment and struck an uprooted tree.

NTSB crash simulations found that students sitting in row eight, where the tree intruded into the school bus cabin, would have experienced greater injuries had they not been wearing lap/shoulder seatbelts.

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Kinney’s report also addresses the increased cost of a school bus with lap/shoulder seatbelts.

“Based on the large reduction in pupil passenger injuries revealed in this report since the implementation of lap/shoulder belts in all new California school buses, the cost-benefits of lap/shoulder belts clearly tip the scales in favor of installing lap/shoulder belts on all new school buses across the nation,” it states, adding that in the 20 years since lap/shoulder seatbelts were required California saw no student fatalities. “…the reduction in pupil passenger injuries more than justifies the few thousands of dollars initial cost.

“When spread over the average 20-year life cycle of a California school bus, the cost is around $500.00 per year. And, if you consider the number of trips per school year and the number of pupils transported each day, the cost is pennies per child per day. The litigation costs, not to mention the costs of settling a court case, can easily be measured in millions of dollars. The financial litigation risks, along with the pain and suffering of a pupil passenger and their family, is something to consider when drawing conclusions on the results and use of this report.”

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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is doubling down on increased seatbelt usage in school buses following the Leander Independent School District school bus crash Aug. 13.

As School Transportation News previously reported, a 2025 Blue Bird school bus was traveling south on a two-lane divided road the first day of school for the Austin, Texas-area district. The school bus was occupied by the 78-year-old driver and 46 student passengers.

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The NTSB stated in its preliminary investigation that a forward-facing video from the vehicle showed the school bus drifting left across the centerline and then to the right, causing it to leave the road while navigating a left-hand curve. After leaving the roadway, the bus crossed an embankment, overturned and came to rest adjacent to the roadway. At the time of the crash the road was wet from light rain.

The investigation found that many students were not restrained in the available lap/shoulder seatbelts, which are required in each new school bus by state law, and were therefore displaced from their seats during the roadway departure and rollover event. Sixteen students were injured, ranging from serious to minor, and the school bus driver sustained minor injuries.

The crash remains under investigation to determine probable cause. However, NTSB has issued three recommendations as a result of the preliminary investigation. To the state of Texas and Leander ISD, NTSB recommends establishing, distributing and requiring the implementation of enforceable policies and procedures for seatbelt use, with routine audits, to ensure that every student is restrained on every trip.

At a minimum, the NTSB said policies and procedures should include: “Mandatory pre-departure driver instruction to students to properly belt and periodic pre-departure inspection by drivers or other staff to ensure that each student is properly belted; periodic review of onboard video camera footage, when equipped, to verify seatbelt use; and

increased training and education of school administrators and staff, bus drivers, parents, and students about proper seat belt use and adjustment, seat belt policies and procedures, the safety benefits of seat belt use, and the importance of being properly belted.”

The state currently requires model-year 2018 or newer school buses to be equipped with three-point seatbelts. School districts can opt out if the school board determines that the cost exceeds the district’s budget and passes a vote during a public meeting.

Bagdad Elementary School Principal Monica de la Garza-Conness and Director of Transportation Tracie Franco shared in a letter to the community in late August that the district remains committed to reviewing its practices and strengthening reminders regarding seatbelt use.

“While state law does not hold districts legally responsible for seatbelt use, we expect students to buckle up whenever seatbelts are available,” the letter states. “To strengthen this standard, drivers will now check seatbelt use before departure. These expectations for our staff members will be added to our transportation and district handbooks.”

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Meanwhile, the NTSB called on the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), the National School Transportation Association, and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services to inform its members of the Leander ISD crash, the lack of seatbelt use, and the need for school districts to establish enforceable policies and procedures for seatbelt use on school buses.

In a letter to members on Oct. 28, the same day NTSB released its recommendations, NAPT informed its members of “the nature of the crash and the importance of using the belts when they are in place.” The organization pointed to its policy statement on the issue of lap/shoulder seatbelts, which encourages members to determine the use of the three-point restraints based on their local needs.

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Leander Independent School District in Texas is updating its seatbelt policy to require its school bus drivers to check for students buckled up before departure in response to a school bus rollover crash last month.

Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services confirmed a school bus rollover involving Leander Independent School District occurred Aug. 13 at 3:15 p.m. The school bus, which primarily transports students to and from Bagdad Elementary School, was transporting 42 children home from the first day of classes. Eleven students and the school bus driver were transported to the hospital with injuries.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced the day following the crash that it is coordinating with the Texas Department of Public Safety on a safety investigation.

Monica de la Garza-Conness, Bagdad Elementary principal and Tracie Franco, the district’s transportation services director, shared in an Aug. 26 letter to parents that while DPS found no criminal wrongdoing by school bus driver Tim Gall, he was “cited for failure to drive in a single lane and improper use of a seatbelt.”

According to the letter, he is no longer employed by the district. Leander ISD Superintendent Bruce Gearing said Gall was a “seasoned veteran bus driver.”

Texas Senate Bill 546 introduced in 2024 and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20, 2025, went into effect Sept. 1. The law states that by the end of the current school year, the board of trustees at  school districts must submit a report to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).that includes the number of school buses operated by or contracted for us by the school district that are not equipped with seatbelts. The report must also list the buses equipped with lap belts and equipped with lap/shoulder belts. School boards must also provide the estimated cost to equip three-point belts in each school bus used by the district.

By Jan. 1, 2027, TEA will collect the information and calculate the total amount of financial assistance needed for all school districts to equip with their school buses with lap/shoulder belts. TEA will make that information available and a school district mau accept “gifts, grants and donations from any public or private source to implement” lap/shoulder seatbelts.

The 2024 Blue Bird school bus was equipped with lap/shoulder seatbelts, per state law. The state requires model-year 2018 or newer school buses to be equipped with the three-point seatbelts. School districts can opt out if the school board determines that the cost exceeds the district’s budget and passes a vote during a public meeting.

Local news reports noted the DPS concluded some but not all students were wearing the safety restraints. State law says students are required to wear the lap/shoulder seatbelts if the school bus is equipped with them.

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Garza-Conness and Franco addressed safety items from the DPS. They noted that voter approval of a 2023 bond resulted in every school bus running daily routes, including for students with individualized education programs, are equipped with seatbelts. An additional 44 school buses used for field trips and substitute buses are also equipped with seatbelts.

“Only if all of these are in use would an older bus without seatbelts be assigned,” the letter states.

“The report also reinforced the importance of consistent seatbelt use, a point of emphasis for us,” the letter continues. “We remain committed to reviewing our practices and strengthening reminders about seatbelt use to ensure the well-being of every child we transport. While state law does not hold districts legally responsible for seatbelt use, we expect students to buckle up whenever seatbelts are available. To strengthen this standard, drivers will now check seatbelt use before departure. These expectations for our staff members will be added to our transportation and district handbooks.”

The letter addressed a comment from DPS on tire tread depth, which was reportedly within acceptable safety standards.

Garza-Conness and Franco asked parents to help share the message and importance of wearing a seatbelt. “Please remind your child to buckle up every time they ride the bus—it’s one of the simplest ways to stay safe,” the joint letter notes. “Your partnership reinforces the same message our drivers and schools are sharing daily, helping us build strong habits together.”

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