Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers | May 26, 2017 | Bus Accidents

Every day that you send your child off to school, you are entrusting his or her care to someone whom you may not know operating a vehicle that, by all outward appearances, requires special skills to drive. This lack of knowledge and control over your child’s well-being may seem unsettling. Knowing exactly what the safety and liability standards are for school buses may help to put your mind at ease (or even empower you to push for added safety protocols).

According to the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, all school buses manufactured after July 1 of 1987 must be equipped with seat belts. However, state law does not currently mandate that such restraints be used. It instead leaves that decision up to the individual school districts. The only exception to this rule is for children under the age of four, who must secured in a federally approved child safety seat when riding on a school bus. You may ask why the state would require that buses be equipped with seat belts, only to then not require that they be used. The generally accepted answer is so that bus drivers are not tasked with doing seat belt checks with every new pickup, which could greatly slow down their routes.

While such reasoning may be understandable, it may serve as little solace should your child be injured in a school bus accident. You and other parents may prompt school districts to change their policies by pointing out the benefits of school bus seat belt use, such as:

  •          Ensuring children’s safety
  •          Promoting better behavior on the bus
  •          Presenting fewer distractions to the bus driver

While this suggestion should not be viewed as legal advice, it could help you and other parents, as well as school district officials, sleep more soundly. 

Contact the New York City Personal Injury Law Firm of Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today

If you’ve been injured in an accident in Manhattan, NY, and need legal help, contact our personal injury lawyers at Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We also serve in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers – New York City Office
100 Wall St, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
(212) 514-5007
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in NYC 
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 40.7051415,-74.0067386

Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers – Bronx Office
1578 Williamsbridge Rd suite 3b
Bronx, NY 10461
(929) 447-2347
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in the Bronx 
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 40.8468944,-73.8483118

Rosenbaum Personal Injury Lawyers – Brooklyn Office
32 Court St #704
Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 550-3601
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Brooklyn 
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 40.692948,-73.991038