I’m responding to the letter from Peter A. Ferrante on Feb. 15 about installing seat belts on school buses.

I drove a school bus for 30 years, 13 of those as a driver/trainer. While it may sound like a good idea, there are several problems.

Lap belts can do damage by compressing on the abdomen, so you would need shoulder harnesses. Most buses are used for transporting children in kindergarten through grade 12. Small children can fit three to a seat and high school students two. So, how many belts to a seat? Who is going to adjust them from small to large and vice versa? Who is going to strap the smaller children in? The driver can’t leave the seat and I don’t want a child saying that I touched then inappropriately. If the parents are tasked with doing it, you can add at least 30 seconds to every stop. If there are 30 stops, that ads 15 minutes to a run and ties up more traffic. At school, teachers would have to unbuckle children, adding more time. Reverse this for the afternoon ride home.

How can you make sure the kids keep the belts on? Some kids will used them as a weapon. Would you want your child slapped with a belt buckle? Some kids think it’s funny to strap the belts across the aisle to trip others.

The most dangerous situation is the need for a quick evacuation. In the event of a fire, there may not be enough time to unbuckle every child.

Larry Burridge

Waldoboro