Federal investigators call for stricter enforcement of seatbelt regulations

AUSTIN, Texas — Federal investigators are urging Leander school officials to ensure the proper use of seat belts on school buses following a review of an Aug. 13 school bus crash.

In an “urgent report” issued Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board found few students were wearing seatbelts despite the bus being equipped with passenger lap and shoulder belts. Investigators concluded the Leander school district “did not take sufficient action to ensure passengers were properly belted.”

The rollover crash occurred when a Leander school district bus veered off the road along Nameless Road near Palomino Drive. 46 elementary and middle school students and one adult were aboard the bus. Following the accident, seventeen people were taken to the hospital, but all were released the next day.

Texas code requires passengers on school buses equipped with seat belts to wear them; however, video footage showed that of 42 visible students, only six were wearing their seat belts, according to investigators.

The section of Nameless Road where the bus crashed is curved, and weather conditions at the time were rainy; however, investigators said the bus left the road “for an unknown reason,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Students who were unbelted or wore only the lap portion of a seat belt were more susceptible to injuries than those who wore a seat belt across their lap, the report said.

Investigators urged Leander schools to implement enforceable policies and procedures to ensure proper seat belt usage by every student and driver on a school bus equipped with seat belts. The report recommended mandatory driver instructions and routine audits to ensure passengers are properly wearing seat belts.

In a statement to families, Tracie Franco, the district’s senior director of transportation services said Leander “appreciate(s) the NTSB’s thorough review, which offers important lessons for school districts nationwide about ensuring consistent seat belt use on school buses,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The recommendations follow statewide initiatives to improve student transportation safety.

All Texas buses must carry seat belts, but currently many older buses don’t.

A new law enacted this year, Senate Bill 546, eliminated an exception for buses built before 2018 and required districts to report by the end of the year how many buses they operate or contract lack seat belts, have only two-point seat belts or have three-point seat belts. Districts must also report the cost of transitioning their bus fleets to three-point safety belts, seat belts that cover a rider’s lap and chest.

By Jan. 1, 2027, the Texas Education Agency must outline a report for the cost to equip all state school buses with seat belts.

This conversation follows a deadly bus crash in Bastrop County on March 22, 2024, that left a prekindergarten student and a 33-year-old man dead. The school bus did not have any safety belts.