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[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 78 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6485-S6486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                           SCHOOL BUS SAFETY

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, a few weeks ago on this Senate floor I 
discussed the problem of school bus safety. In February of this year a 
young girl by the name of Brandie Browder, an eighth grader in Beaver 
Creek, OH, was killed when the drawstring around the waist of her coat 
got caught in the handrail of her school bus.
  Just 4 days later, in Cincinnati, a seventh grader suffered a broken 
foot in a very similar accident.
  As I pointed out when I spoke previously about this matter, while 
school buses are certainly among the very safest modes of 
transportation, the sad fact remains that an average of 30 
schoolchildren are killed every single year in America either getting 
off or getting back on their own school buses--30 children.
  Each child, Mr. President, with parents, grandparents, brothers, and 
sisters, and because of that child's death their life will never be the 
same; 30 children who will never have the opportunity to grow up, 30 
children who will never have the opportunity to live out their 
potential. The sad fact is, Mr. President, that almost without 
exception these are preventable deaths.
  When I last spoke on this issue, I discussed three specific safety 
issues, three problems that cause these deaths. One was a handrail 
problem. The second was the problem of the child getting on and off the 
bus and how we can make that area safer so the school bus driver will 
know what is going on in that area. And finally, I talked about the 
possibility of better training for school bus drivers.
  Today, I would like to concentrate on the issue of handrails on these 
school buses because between the time that I last spoke to the Senate 
about this issue myself and my staff have spent a great deal of time 
looking at this issue and finding out additional facts. And the sad 
fact is that we lose many children because of this handrail problem.
  This is a problem, Members of the Senate, that can be corrected very 
easily for less than $20 per school bus. So it is not something that is 
going to cost a great deal of money. It is something though that will 
not be fixed unless parents, teachers, administrators, and members of 
the public demand that this problem be fixed in each school bus in the 
country.
  As I previously mentioned, an alarming number of these accidents are 
occurring when a strap from a backpack on a child or the drawstring of 
a little girl's or little boy's coat gets snagged in the handrail while 
that child is exiting the bus. We all know I think from our own 
experience from our own children how many kids today have backpacks or 
have a poncho or something that has a string that can in fact get 
caught as that child is getting off the bus.
  Mr. President, with many of these handrails there is a small space 
between the handrail and the wall of the bus where something like the 
drawstring around the waist of a coat can get snagged. The child is 
getting off the bus. The child begins to get off that bus but the 
child's clothing is stuck and is still attached when the bus driver 
mistakenly begins to pull away thinking the child has exited the school 
bus. As I pointed out, a number of children have been killed in this 
exact manner since 1991.
  Let me give a little background on the analysis of this problem. 
Beginning in early 1993, the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration [NHTSA] initiated a series of investigations to find out 
if the handrails on school buses were actually designed in an unsafe 
manner. As a result of these investigations, nine distinct models of 
school buses were recalled because of potentially unsafe handrails. 
However, tens of thousands of these unsafe buses were not recalled. 
They are still on the road. The bus that killed little Brandie was not 
recalled, not because the bus was safe--just the contrary--but it was 
not recalled because the company that made the bus had already gone out 
of business.
  Mr. President, we clearly must track down these buses. We must make 
sure that every single bus in this country is inspected. We have to fix 
them or get them off the road.
  Let me again repeat. We are not talking about a very expensive 
repair. It is not a cost question. It is a question of locating the 
buses. It is a question of public awareness, which is why I am on the 
floor today.
  We as parents need to make sure our children are not getting on an 
unsafe bus this afternoon, tomorrow morning, or ever. We can all look 
for ourselves. When our child gets on the bus tomorrow morning, or gets 
off the bus this afternoon, look at the handrail to see if that gap 
does in fact exist. We must not rest until every one of these buses is 
identified and fixed.
  Let me advise my colleagues what we are doing in the State of Ohio 
with regard to this. I had the opportunity this morning to talk to 
highway patrol officials who are in charge in the State of Ohio of 
school bus inspections.
  As I have indicated, there really is a simple solution to this 
particular handrail problem. Every year the Ohio State Highway Patrol 
during the summer months when school is not in session conduct 
inspections of every single school bus in the State of Ohio. I suspect 
that there are other law enforcement agencies that perform the same 
function in all the other States of the Union as well.
  The Ohio State Highway Patrol, when they begin these inspections in 
the next several weeks, are going to in addition to what they normally 
do look for this specific problem. When they find the problem, if they 
do, they are going to take the bus off the road until the problem is 
corrected because as I indicated it is a very relatively simple problem 
to solve at a cost of probably no more than $20.
  They use an inspection device, a tool. If I describe it, I think it 
will give our listeners and Members of the Senate a good idea how 
simple it is. It is a tool made with a long string with a nut attached 
to the end. From outside the school bus door, you drop the nut end of 
the device into the crevice where 
[[Page S6486]] with the lower end of the handrail is attached to the 
lower area of the stepped wall. When you pull the device toward the 
outside of the school bus through the crevice, if the tool gets caught 
the bus is rejected and then not allowed onto the road until this is 
fixed.
  As I point out, fixing these buses is relatively easy. For around $20 
you can put a safe new handrail on the bus, a whole new handrail, or 
for even less money than that you can modify the handrail by inserting 
a special wood or rubber spacer between the bottom attachment point of 
the handrail and the bus wall itself. The process is cheap, simple and 
will save lives.
  Mr. President, I urge that all States that are not currently 
following this inspection policy and are not looking for this problem 
start doing this as soon as possible. Ohio certainly does not have a 
monopoly on these potentially unsafe buses. These unsafe buses can 
probably and I am sure can be found in any State in the Union.
  Mr. President, this week just happens to be National Safe Kids Week. 
There is no better time than the present during this week to focus our 
attention on the real dangers to schoolchildren who travel by 
schoolbus.
  The goals of National Safe Kids Week are fourfold, but they are quite 
simple.
  First, raise awareness of the problem of childhood injuries.
  Second, build grassroots coalitions to implement prevention 
strategies.
  Third, stimulate changes in behavior and products to reduce the 
occurrence of injuries.
  Fourth, make childhood injuries a public policy priority.
  Mr. President, these four goals should set our agenda for safety for 
children and specifically should set our agenda for school bus safety. 
I will in the weeks ahead again return to the floor to revisit this 
entire issue, but at this time I think it is important that we get 
about the business of dealing with this handrail problem.
  In conclusion, I should like to alert my colleagues and other 
concerned Americans to an important satellite feed about this issue of 
school bus safety. Later today and tomorrow, the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration will be showing a TV program on this very 
issue. This program will be available by satellite, and I would urge 
those who are interested in this vital issue to contact NHTSA about the 
details.
  Again, Mr. President, I thank all the concerned parents and the 
educators and others who are contributing to the success of National 
Safe Kids Week. To them I simply say thank you, thank you for caring, 
and, believe me, you are in fact making a difference.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the Senator suggest the absence of a 
quorum?
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I do suggest at this time the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Abraham). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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