AUSTIN (KXAN) — A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report issued a safety recommendation urging the state of Texas and the Leander Independent School District to tighten seat belt use after a school bus crash on Nameless Road on Aug. 13, injuring more than sixteen children and the driver.
Investigators discovered that several children on that bus were not wearing seat belts and were displaced when the bus overturned. The school bus was equipped with occupants’ lap and shoulder belts, and built-in five-point child safety belts, but few of the occupants were wearing them, the NTSB said.
District website It states that Leander ISD buses are equipped with three-point seat belts and must be worn by state law.
However, NTSB investigators said the district “did not take adequate measures to ensure occupants were properly seat belted.” The agency’s report urges Leander schools to implement policies to ensure every student and bus driver is properly equipped and restrained with mandatory seat belts.
Leander ISD said it has implemented changes to its safety practices.
In a statement sent to families Tuesday, Leander ISD included these changes to the district’s seat belt use and school bus safety.
- Driver accountability and monitoring: Drivers are asked to ensure students are properly buckled before leaving campus each afternoon and to remind students during the morning route. Team leaders will now conduct random video reviews to verify compliance.
- Clear expectations and communication: Families received district-wide reminders via SMART Tag emphasizing that all passengers must wear seat belts on buses equipped with them.
- Safety signsReinforced seat belt stickers will be added inside each bus as a reminder to students and drivers.
- Training and supervision: Additional education and training on seat belt use will be provided to transportation staff, campus administrators and families. Routine audits and safety inspections will ensure compliance with district policy and state law.
- Policy review and audit: Leander ISD said it is creating an enforceable district policy for seat belt use, including monitoring, reporting and accountability procedures.
A dash cam video from inside the school bus showed 42 of the 46 students appearing in the video; Only six were wearing seat belts, and four of those passengers were wearing only the lap portion, the NTSB said.
Texas state law requires passengers on equipped school buses to wear seat belts, the NTSB said. The agency recommends that the state require enforceable policies and procedures for proper seat belt use on equipped school buses, including routine audits and mandatory driver instructions to ensure compliance.