In New Jersey, seat belts on school buses is the law

CAMDEN (WPVI) -- In Camden Tuesday afternoon, students from Cooper's Point Elementary buckled up in the name of safety the moment they got on board the bus for the ride home.

New Jersey is one of only six U.S. states that requires all school buses to be fully equipped with seat belts.

Pennsylvania and Delaware have no such laws.

The horror of Monday's deadly accident in Tennessee drives the point home to veteran teacher Pamela Wood.

"I think it's essential for all students to have safety belts in case of any type of accident," Wood said.

Ismael Franqui has more than 20 years as a school bus driver for Camden's city schools. He views the Tennessee disaster for the horror story it is. He's experienced minor accidents over the course of his long career.

"I had a couple, but they were wearing the seat belts, everyone was buckled in, and nothing happened," Franqui said.

Ismael says seat belts for all school buses should be the law nationwide with no exceptions.

"All the states should be having it so they could save lives," Franqui said.