The National Transportation Safety Board recommended that all new school buses in the U.S. be equipped with lap and shoulder belts.
The NTSB also voted to recommend that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mandate automatic emergency braking systems. The technology can help prevent or mitigate frontal collisions if the bus driver fails to apply the brakes.
The board recommended that New Jersey, Florida, Louisiana and New York upgrade requirements from lap belts to lap and shoulder belts, according to Bloomberg.
“Today’s recommendations, if acted upon, will help ensure new school buses are manufactured with occupant protection such as lap-shoulder belts as well as collision avoidance technology,” NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said on the agency’s Twitter feed. “Safety demands oversight that puts lives first.”
