William T. Coffey - Comment

Why aren't all school bus windows adjacent to where students are seated "emergency exit windows"? With only a few exit windows, students must use the aisle to reach an exit window, which in panic caused by a fire in the bus may greatly reduce the number of schoolchildren who will be able to self-rescue. Since the students do not have adult supervision, other than the driver who may be incapacitated in a crash, we cannot expect the students to cooperate in mutual rescue. Further, when firefighters attempt to evacuate the bus, they will have to enter through an emergency exit being used for egress by the children and then bring students to an exit to pass them out. If every window were an exit, then each would only have to accommodate the students in that row, and firefighters would be able to pull victims out, rather than go inside to bring them to an exit. Since we know how to make the exits, how much more would it cost, and aren't our children's lives worth the price?