A Connecticut family has been fighting to install seat belts on school buses since they lost their son in a tragic school bus crash in 2010 and now, for the first time, the head of National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is pushing for the same thing.
Sixteen-year-old Vikas Parikh was on a bus, heading to a robotics competition in Farmington in January 2010, when it collided with a station wagon on Interstate 84 in Hartford.
“Life is not the same,” Dolly Parikh, of Rocky Hill, said. “We still feel like there is something missing in our life. ... We are 100 percent sure that a seat belt would have saved his life.”
The family fought to make seat belts mandatory on school buses in Connecticut, but the fight fell short in the legislature when it did not receive enough votes.
The chair of the House Transportation Committee said this was due to the arguments from school bus companies.
“The number one reason was the cost,” Rep. Tony Guerrera (D-Rocky Hill), said. “I understand there is a cost to it, but you can’t put a price on a child.”
Instead, a tax incentive program was set up for cities and towns that wanted to do it, but not many have.
The Parikh family said they thought that was the best they could do, until they heard about a recommendation for the nation’s top highway safety officer.
“We know that seat belts save lives, so we want to see a three-point seat belt on every school bus in this nation,” National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind said.
It is an endorsement that could prompt another conversation at the state level to require them.
Connecticut is one of 44 states with no school seat belt requirement.
“It is an issue that needs to be brought back to the table,” Rep. Guerrera said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports 7,200 children are injured each year in school bus crashes and four die. Even though it’s too late for their son, the Parikh’s said it is not too late for others.
“If it can save at least one life, it is worth it,” Dolly Parikh said.
