New Safety Debate

Gov., DeWine announces the formation of a bus safety group to address school transportation concerns following last week’s bus crash in Clark County that resulted in the fatality of an 11-year-old. The Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group will examine topics related to school bus regulations, licensing and training, crash risk factors and more. Local school districts are continuing to take measures to protect students with the new school year now fully underway. Ryan Eberly, transportation director for Bryan City Schools, said the district is always keeping student safety a top priority. He said students are also taught to stay in their seats at all times, which is a challenge especially when dealing with younger children. School buses are intentionally designed in a compact manner to protect children in case of an accident. This is the main reason why seat belts are not required. However, this assumes that children sit in the seats as intended, something bus drivers cannot always address when focusing on the road.