What is a life worth?
Editor:
After reading Versailles Board March of Education Meeting Highlights, I would like to respond to their justification of not putting seating belts on all of the Versailles school buses.
My research agrees that the safest mode of transporting students to school is the school bus. But the bus compartmentalization only provides protection of the students in head on or rear end crashes. It gives no protection if in an accident, the bus lands on its side or rolls onto its top.
In October 2005 an accident occurred in the rural community of Plainfield, N.H. A bus taking students home from school ran off the shoulder of a narrow, winding dirt road and flipped on its side. None of the 28 children on board were injured. All but one was wearing a seat belt. The bus was equipped with lap seat belts. None injured, none died.
The Versailles School Board is worried about possible troubles include increased liability and legal issues. Shouldn’t they be more concerned about doing nothing and being sued because an accident happens in which students are injured or worse yet died.
What is a life worth? Surely more than the $150,000 it would take to put seat belts in all of their buses. The School District has the money.
In the November 4th general election, there are four school board seats open. I would encourage anyone who agrees with me about the seat belt issue, please consider going to the Board of Elections in Greenville, pick up a petition to run for School Board and file it by August 9 at 4 p.m.
Sincerely yours,
Alma Broerman
Versailles