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 Could seatbelts prevent another Bluffton? - Jul 09, 2008
posted by: Marta Lawrence
Lack of safety restraints and poorly marked highways were responsible for the deaths of five Bluffton College baseball players, concluded the National Transportation and Safety Board in findings released yesterday. The board reiterated a call it has made since 1960 to study the performance and safety regulations of motorcoaches. Despite yesterday's finding and a renewed effort in 1999, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration--which is responsible for writing and enforcing safety standards in vehicles--has yet to require installing seatbelts in buses like those used by student-athletes across the country. The reason? "We can't just arbitrarily impose federal regulations without some basis in science," Rae Tyson, a spokesman for the NHTSA told the Dayton Daily News. Seatbelts were made standard in cars in 1968 and according to the Department of Transportation, the restraints saved 15,383 lives in 2006. Isn't it kind of a no-brainer that seatbelts work? What other scientific proof is the NHTSA after? "Had any of those recommendations been implemented ... our sons would be alive today," John Betts, whose son David died in the crash, told CNN. " That's not a wish. That's not a fantasy. That's a fact." Although the highway markings and driver mistakes were found to cause the accident, Betts is right, injury and death may have been prevented if greater safety measure were in place. Many of those who died in the crash were thrown from the bus and seatbelts may have prevented that from happening. "People ask us would Zachary survive if he had a seatbelt? We'll never know because he never had the opportunity," Dana Arend, mother of one of one of the deceased Bluffton players, told a local television station. "There are no seatbelts on the buses so he never had the opportunity and that really upsets us,". What do you think? Should seatbelts be mandatory on buses? 
CommentsSeat belts on buses??? Not a practical idea at all. As a former collegiate athlete, and someone who still works in collegiate athletics I don't see this working at all. How do you propose we enforce something like this. I am 6'7" and cannot get comfortable on one of those buses as its stands now...my knees hit the seat in front of me, no leg room at all just to name a few things...and now you are going to try and mandate that athletes sit upright and in the same position for a 10 hour bus trip?? Yeah, that is going to real popular among athletes. What happened to the Bluffton was horrible, no doubt about that, but mandating that seatbelts be put on buses and used by athletes (or anybody for that matter) is not the answer. It would be a huge waste of money (who is going to be paying for this??) having them put in only to have them ignored by the passenger. I just don't see this working very well at all. We should be more concerned about the competency of the drivers that we hire as well as the condition of the roads that are being traveled , than the mandating of something that will have a little/no overall impact. I never have understood why so many buses don't have seat belts for passengers who want to use them. Even if NMJ felt the need to stretch frequently for comfort or to take up two seats and not be strapped in, what about the other riders who would prefer the security that seat belts provide?
Folks - there is no question that this is a tragedy and my sympathies are with the Bluffton community. However, I have lived in Atlanta for over twelve years and have driven past the exit where the accident happened many hundreds of times. How the NHTSA found that the road markings are not clear enough is mind boggling. The first sign indicating a left exit is at least two miles before the exit and there are a few more between there and the ramp. Also, you must make hard left veer to use the exit. My wife and I have driven past the exit numerous times since the accident (with the same road markings) and we still can't figure out how the driver mistook the exit for the highway, even in the dark. Sorry, but that is the truth as we see it. Our prayers remain with the Bluffton community. Post a Comment |
  
Clustering...allows you and teammates to create a bond since you took the same classes and went through the same struggles on the athletic venue.
- Cole
   
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