Editorial: Are schoolbus seatbelts best option?

At first glance, it would seem obvious that children should be wearing seatbelts on school buses.

But it actually appears to be the source of some debate over safety and effectiveness.

Only a handful of US states require that children buckle up on school buses and there seems to be general agreement that the design of buses means they are much safer than they used to be.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce is right to tread carefully in reaction to calls for action after Monday's school bus crash in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

These terrible events always, and understandably, spark an instant and often angry need for answers. But kneejerk responses from those in power are never the best option and beg the question: if this is right, why wasn't it already done?

Mr Joyce points out quite rightly that we need to give police time to investigate this week's accident before any major response.

In the US, separate studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the University of Alabama found installing seatbelts would add thousands of dollars to the cost of a new bus while having little to no impact on safety.

The Alabama study, from last year, stated: "Most school bus pupil fatalities occur outside buses in or near loading zones. If funding is to be spent on school bus safety, it appears more lives could be saved by investing in enhanced safety measures in loading/unloading zones. These treatments are likely more cost effective than seatbelts ..."

None of this is to say such measures shouldn't be considered here. This is a different country with different cultures. Our bus companies face different safety standards and follow different regulations.

And none of this will bring comfort to the children and families involved in the Ruatoki smash, in which seatbelts may well have made a vital difference.

The point is, at this stage we don't have the answers so many are looking for, and won't until we know more about the causes and effects of Monday's crash.