Hunt Leads Oregon House to Ensure Safer School Buses for Oregon Students

School buses manufactured before 1977 will need to be replaced under bill approved by House.

Photo: Tim King

(SALEM, Ore.) - House Majority Leader Dave Hunt (D-Clackamas County) praised a move by the Oregon House of Representatives Wednesday that will ensure Oregon school children safer transportation to and from school each day.

House Bill 2456, authored and championed by Hunt, prohibits the use of school buses manufactured before April 1st, 1977 for education-related activities.

More than a quarter of a million Oregon students board a school bus each day to get to and from school.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and well being of our children,” said Hunt. “But each day, Oregon children are put at risk as they board outdated buses that fail to meet current safety standards.”

Buses manufactured before 1977, said Hunt, do not meet the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for school buses.

That means they lack critical safety mechanisms relating to seating and crash protection, joint strength, fuel system integrity, rollover protection, emergency exits and equipment designed to improve the visibility of children entering and exiting the bus such as reflective striping, crossing gates, and flashing lights