NHTSA issued a rulemaking proposal in November 2007 covering school bus seat belts and related issues. 
The core proposals are:

• New small school buses (under 10,000 pounds) would be required to have lap-shoulder belts integrated into their seats; optional for larger school buses.
• Any school bus seats with lap-shoulder belts would have to pass certain performance tests.  
• All buses would be required to have seat backs about four inches higher than what is now required. (Some states, such as New York, already require the higher seat backs.)  
• Lower seat cushions would need to be permanently attached in place so they cannot come out of the seat frame.  (Currently, most bus seats have cushions that flip up for cleaning purposes and have been found to come loose in crashes.)

 Safe Ride News and SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. submitted joint comments.  They and other commenters, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Coalition for School Bus Safety, said the proposal did not go far enough, because it did not require three-point seat belts for all school buses.  They said the vast majority of pupils ride on large buses and these children deserve the protection of seat belts in the infrequent but catastrophic crashes that can involve school buses. Additionally, having seat belts on school buses reinforces the habit of buckling up and also has been shown in practice to improve student behavior so the driver can concentrate on the road.  

The two groups approved of the proposal to create a standard for testing bus seats with integrated lap-shoulder belts.  In calling for all new large buses to be required to have three-point belts, they suggested that a specific funding source be found to help states implement the requirement for  all large buses.  Otherwise, state funds might be taken away from other pressing traffic safety issues such as impaired driving and child restraint use in personal passenger vehicles, a prospect that has led to objections by some states.  Many older school buses that lack lap/shoulder belts have inefficient engines that emit considerable pollution, which can affect passengers as well as the environment. They suggested that NHTSA team up with the Department of Energy to fund the phase-in of new large school buses with three-point belts, thus reducing pollution while helping to cover the costs of seat belts on the new buses. 

Comments were due on January 22.  It is likely to be some time before the final rule is ready.  Comments can be viewed at www.regulations.gov.  Use the docket number “NHTSA-2007-0014” to access the proposal and the submissions and to send comments on the submissions.  (SRN Jan/Feb 2008)