The school buses of today are much safer than those made years ago. Max Christensen is the executive officer for school transportation for the Iowa Department of Education. He says one of the biggest safety improvements involves the seats.
"We’ve gone to higher back seats inside the buses," Christensen says, "so in the event of a crash, that provides better protection for the kids if they hit their head and it keeps them from flying over the seats as well."
Older Iowans may remember riding in school buses with seats that were made of a metal frame, with little or no padding between the frame and the seat cover. Christensen says the back of the seats are still made with a steel rim, but they now have a thick pad that wraps around the frame. State officials conduct inspections of all school buses in the state twice a year.
Christensen says the inspections involve a 68 point checklist of the seats, emergency exits, lights, and other equipment on the bus.