After completing an investigation into a 2020 crash in Tennessee that killed the driver and a 7-year-old girl, the National Transportation Safety Board renewed its call for seat belts on school buses on Thursday.
The investigation confirmed the Tennessee Highway Patrol‘s initial report on the Oct. 27, 2020, crash.
A Service Electric Company utility truck was driving north on state Highway 58 in Meigs County when its front right tire blew out. Terry Trammell, the truck’s driver, steered to the left, and when the tire reconnected with the pavement, the truck spun counterclockwise, sending it into the path of the bus and nearly perpendicular to the road.
According to the report, school bus driver Lisa Dillard braked but did not have enough time to avoid the collision. Neither vehicle was speeding, and the brakes on the school bus had been replaced the previous month. According to the Safety Board, Trammell’s inattention to the road was caused by him looking in his rearview mirror at a sheriff’s deputy vehicle.
According to the report, Dillard, who was aged 53, and a 7-year-old girl seated directly behind her was killed in the crash. Another four children, all of whom were in the first three rows, were seriously injured. Dillard of Birchwood was wearing a seat belt, but the children’s seats were not. Trammell, of Grandview, was buckled up and driving.
“This case is a sobering reminder that failing to act on our recommendations can result in unimaginable — and preventable — tragedy,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement about the report. “School buses are frequently lauded for their safety record, but we’ve grown complacent.” The lives of children are at stake.”
The Board of Education reiterated its 2018 recommendation that states require lap and shoulder belts for all passengers in new, large school buses on Thursday.
Tennessee is one of the states that does not require seat belts, though the legislature set aside $3 million in 2018 to reimburse school districts for installing seatbelts on new buses or retrofitting older buses.
Tennessee is one of the states that does not require seat belts, though the legislature set aside $3 million in 2018 to reimburse school districts for installing seatbelts on new buses or retrofitting older buses.
According to the Safety Board report, nearly $827,000 had been awarded to school districts as of the fiscal year 2021.
The Board also reaffirmed a 2010 recommendation that heavy buses and trucks be required to have lane departure warning systems.
