About Time! Texas Bill Would Finally Require Seat Belts on School Buses

AUSTIN, Texas - If passed, Senate Bill 546 would FINALLY require 3-point seatbelts on all buses. Seatbelts on a bus are a major no-brainer that has never made sense to me. Why on earth have we gone so long without them?

The bill, authored by Texas Sen. Jose Menedez, D-San Antonio, would expand on a 2017 bill that requires all buses made after 2018 to have 3-point seatbelts. The "3-Point Seat Belt" refers to a safety harness built in the shape of a "Y" that includes a lap belt and a single strap that runs across your chest and shoulder.

This bill comes after the horrific school bus crash in 2024 in Bastrop, Texas, which claimed the life of a 5-year-old child and injured more than 50 other people. The accident also killed a 33-year-old man in an SUV.

I rode the school bus every day, and I vividly remember being tossed about like a rag doll. Sometimes we even sat in the back of the bus on purpose so that we'd be launched into the air when the bus driver hit a dip in the road.

I've got to admit, that was kind of fun, but in hindsight, holy moly, was it dangerous...

Fingers crossed this bill passes. It will keep kids safe, and that's a good thing.

How do you feel about it? I'd love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below this article or email me at Chrissy.Covington@townsquaremedia.com.

Now, keep scrolling for more interesting Texas-based news in the galleries below...