The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Council applauds school bus safety in seat belts
Avon Lake City Council approved a resolution May 13 in support of a seat belt pilot program with Avon Lake City Schools.
Spearheaded by Avon Lake resident Rudy Breglia, the program follows Avon Lake City Schools’ recent decision to approve the purchase of two replacement school buses for the 2019-2020 school year that will be equipped with lap-shoulder belts.
Breglia, founder of the School Bus Safety Alliance, said Avon Lake will be one of the first districts in the state of Ohio to take this step for all school bus passengers.
The program will allow the district to determine what specifications are necessary for future replacement buses.
Mayor Greg Zilka presented Breglia with a proclamation thanking him for his efforts in working to protect the safety of children as the nation’s highest priority.
“The School Bus Safety Concern Project has worked tirelessly to promote the need for seat belts on school buses in Avon Lake City School District,” Zilka said. “Rudy’s hope is to one day see school buses nationwide adopt this practice.
“As a result of Rudy’s (Breglia) hard work and dedication, the Avon Lake Board of Education has committed to conducting a pilot program purchasing up to three replacement school buses with lap-shoulder seat belts. And they will be the first fully equipped school buses in Ohio.”
Breglia, who founded the School Bus Safety Alliance in 2016, thanked Avon Lake City Council and Avon Lake Schools Superintendent Bob Scott for their passion and foresight in moving this issue forward.
“The reason I’m standing here today is because in November of 2016 I got a wake-up call. A school bus rolled over in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and killed six children and injured 26,” Breglia said. “Those children really didn’t have a chance without a seat belt on. Three of them were ejected.”
“The installation of seat belts in school buses is a substantial, recognized and critical improvement to school bus safety. It really should be a priority for all of us.”
Avon Lake joins Beachwood as the only cities in Ohio to have seat belts in school buses, adhering to recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In passing the resolution, Ward 4 Councilman David Kos said he was glad to honor Breglia.
“I am very proud to bring this forward tonight to recognize the efforts of Mr. Rudy Breglia and all of the outstanding work he’s done on this. This is a real passionate project for him and I think all of us here on city council have recognized how deeply he cares about this,” Kos said. “It’s one thing to care about things but it’s another thing to put the work in and the research and everything else he did in getting the attention of so many publications, school boards and municipalities.”