COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's new school bus safety working group, formed after an 11-year-old was killed and multiple others were injured in a Dayton-area school bus crash in August, met for the first Monday.
As the group was organized and prepared to begin its work to evaluate school transportation, the state saw other school bus crashes.
The group's job is to evaluate school transportation.
More school bus crashes have happened in the state since the late August crash in Clark County. On Thursday, a car hit a bus on I-75 in Wood County and injured six students. And on Monday, a Canton-area school bus rolled over, injuring six people.
"You have several issues. One, how do you retrofit a bus to add whatever you want to add to it? The other question is that every single year, buses are bought in the state of Ohio," DeWine said Monday.
The school safety group addresses items like seat belts, bus inspections and risk factors, and can recommend changes to make to buses in the state. But, changes in buses would also require changes in training, DeWine noted.
The Dayton-area crash, which killed 11-year-old Aiden Clark, marked the first time someone was killed while riding a bus in Ohio since 2010.
Andy Wilson, the state's director of public safety, said school buses are the safest mode of transportation for students to take to school and school-related events in Ohio. And, he said when fatal bus crashes do happen, the person who caused the crash is typically the person who dies rather than the students or driver on the bus.
Wilson and DeWine both said that most bus crashes are caused by other drivers being distracted or impaired, too.
"Distracted driving is a huge problem. We know it's a major contributor to auto crashes in the state," DeWine said. "That bill, as you know is going to start being enforced. I think when it starts being enforced, I think we'll see less distracted driving."
He said when the school bus safety group finishes its work, its findings will lead to statewide changes.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown also introduced legislation last week to mandate seat belts on all school buses, among other safety measures.