I speak from experience. I am a school bus crash survivor, and my husband and I lost our 14 year old son, Benjamin, in the same accident more than six years ago. As a parent who takes the responsibility of keeping children safe very seriously, I'd like to shed light on what I believe some senators and school district leaders don't want you to know.

The opponents will give you their reasons for not supporting seat belts on school buses, describing them as "weapons", "dangers", or "death traps", but if they were truly honest, it's all about the money, because there is extensive federal and state data research that shows indisputably-- seat belts save lives. Bus drivers who threaten to quit their jobs if seat belts are put on buses are not really interested or concerned about your child's safety. They are only personally worried about getting sued. (By the way, all bus drivers are provided with lap and shoulder belts, making them, more often than not, the only securely fastened persons on a bus.)

In Harms' Nebraska bill, the bus driver is not liable if a student is not buckled up, and the district does not incur more liability for buses with belts and those without belts during the transition phase. The Nebraska Attorney General's office has studied LB 1092 and says "it's time" and "it's good public policy".

So, parents, it's time for you to stand up for your child's safety. Your state senators and school leaders need to hear from you that your child's health and well-being are worth the $10,000 added to the cost of a $70,000 school bus. Ask to see your school district's budget and look at the bottom line. You will likely find the cost of adding seat belts to a brand new bus a drop in the bucket. (The average turnaround on school buses is 10-12 years, so even this would be a gradual replacement.)

What could districts save on insurance if their buses are made safer for students? What could districts save if they no longer had to lease charter buses? We aren't asking for existing buses to be equipped with this bill, but as parents we have a responsibility to ensure that our children are placed in the safest environment we can provide. We must start someplace, and we must start now.

School districts who are balking about the cost of safety had best be on their guard. Lap and shoulder belt technology is affordable and available. When the next tragic bus accident happens (and it will) they will have to answer to parents who will demand to know why there weren't seat belts on their child's bus.

Dawn Prescott

Fremont