School Bus Safety Not Involving Arming Teachers

According to Politico, safety advocates are asking Congress to take up a bill aimed at making school buses safer in the wake of recent crashes in several states that have killed five children and injured dozens of people. Introduced in September, the legislation, S. 3432 (115), would require buses to have seat belts in every seat, use technology like automatic emergency braking and electronic stability control, and carry an event data recorder. "We laud the leadership of Senator Tammy Duckworth and Representative Steve Cohen [both Democrats] for introducing this lifesaving, commonsense bill and urge Congress to take action on it immediately," said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, in a statement. The bill, which is based on recommendations from NTSB, has not advanced in either the House or Senate, but a Democratic win today will get it moving.