Scribner Appreciates Testimony on Safety Belts on Buses

HARTFORD — Mandated installation of safety belts on school buses is a complex issue that will require lawmakers to consider a broad set of issues beyond the emotion of a recent tragedy that claimed the life of a Rocky Hill teenager, Rep. David Scribner said a day after a hearing on the subject.

Safety belts on school buses aren’t a new topic for state legislators, but the Jan. 9 death of 16-year-old Vikas Parikh has reignited the push by some to have lawmakers deliver a mandate.

Scribner, ranking member of the Transportation Committee, listened to hours of testimony Wednesday from students, education officials, medical experts and municipal leaders.

The hearing included testimony—emotional at times—from students on the bus with Parikh.

“As a parent that has three children that ride school buses every day, you always have those concerns and apprehensions,” Scribner told everyone in the room, “but I think it’s most important to for us to not only respond to one loss and tragedy, which is very real, and very painful, but also all aspects of this complex issue from a practical standpoint as to how it works best—if at all.”

Buying new school buses outfitted with safety belts, or retrofitting the buses they have, is an expensive proposition for school districts. But Scribner, who represents Brookfield and part of Bethel, said the issue goes far beyond cost. For one, legislators must consider how safety belts would fit students of different ages and sizes—a fact tied to the effectiveness and safety of the belts themselves.

“As far as I know, one-size seat belts just don’t exist,” he said. “Will we need booster seats for students under seven? And how do we make sure the belts are used properly?”

Scribner said Wednesday’s hearing was a vital opportunity for lawmakers to gather that “real, fact-based” information on the topic from people on both sides of the issue.