FOXNews.com: School busses doesn't need seat belts but thanks to Team Obama you'll pay

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School busses doesn't need seat belts but thanks to Team Obama you'll pay Jan 24th 2013, 16:47 More. Always more. Government's regulation machine rarely repeals any rules. It's always more. The Detroit News reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will soon demand that seat belts be installed in busses. "A number of notable accidents, including the deaths of seven people in 2007 on a bus carrying the Bluffton (Ohio) University baseball team, have led to proposals in Congress to mandate safety belts on buses to keep people in their seats during rollovers and other serious accidents."  Activists have demanded this for 30 years, but government's safety specialists decided against it, because the rule might kill kids. Some won't wear the belts, some will use them as weapons. Since new busses with belts cost about $13,000 more, some school districts, rather than upgrade to newer busses with seat belts, will stick with older, more dangerous ones,. As the Washington Post reported "federal authorities have concluded that equipping them with seat belts is an unnecessary expense… large school buses are among the safest modes of transportation, with a fatality rate six times lower that passenger cars." So if regulators raise the price of busses, more kids will take cars to school, increasing their risk. Just a few years ago, NHTSA said: • Seat belts are of no value in the majority of fatal accidents. • More children are killed around school buses -- walking to and from the school bus stop -- than inside school buses. • No data proves conclusively that seat belts reduce fatalities or injuries on school buses. • School buses are specifically designed with safety in mind. They are heavier and experience less crash force than smaller cars and trucks. School buses also have high padded seats specifically design to absorb impact. • There is no guarantee that once installed students will use seatbelts. Studies have shown that mixed and improper use of seat belts can increase the risk of injuries. • There is concern that seat belts could be used as weapons to strike or choke other passengers. • Money proposed for seat belt installation could be better spent on other safety measures. Yet now the Obama regulators have decided, as usual, that more rules are just what we need. Over time, even sensible bureaucrats give in to persistent special interests. John Stossel is host of "Stossel" on the Fox Business Network. He's the author of  "No, They Can't: Why Government Fails-But Individuals Succeed," "Give Me a Break" and of "Myth, Lies, and Downright Stupidity." To find out more about John Stossel, visit his website at johnstossel.com.

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