By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Governor Matt Blunt says he wants seatbelts installed on all new school buses in Missouri.
Blunt Wednesday announced the findings of a bus safety task force he formed after several fatal crashes earlier this year.
The group recommended that school districts buy buses with lap and shoulder belts already installed as they replace old vehicles.
But Blunt says that's something the legislature should require.
The state needs to pay the extra, Blunt said. We're not talking about imposing any sort of a mandate on school districts. We're saying when they purchase new buses, they need to be buses that have shoulder and lap seatbelts, and we're going to pay that difference.
The governor that would cost $5 to $10 million each year of the transition.
The task force also recommended driver training programs be updated and that districts consider putting extra adults on school buses to monitor student behavior.