WESTFIELD, Ind. — IMMI brought together elected leaders, school officials, emergency responders and parents on Aug. 8 to discuss behavioral and safety issues facing children on their school buses.

The event, SafeGuard: School Bus Safety 101, ended on a dramatic note, with a head-on school bus crash demonstration. The crash, into the largest barrier block in the world, according to IMMI, demonstrated what happens to belted and unbelted passengers on the bus.

“Every day, school districts deal with student injuries, bullies, bad behavior and distracted drivers on their school buses,” IMMI CEO Larry Gray said. “At IMMI, we’re committed to child passenger safety, and we know there are no more excuses for putting our children at risk. That’s why we decided to hold our SafeGuard: School Bus Safety 101 event. The solutions are out there, but there is too much misinformation getting in the way of progress.”

Recent research shows that 93% of bus drivers have witnessed bullying on their school bus, and 85% of parents want the added protection lap-shoulder belts provide, according to IMMI.

“It’s up to all of us to be informed so we can make the best decisions possible to keep our children safer on the school bus,” Gray added. “We were pleased to offer this educational event for our local leaders, school officials and parents.”

The event was conducted at the Center for Advanced Product Evaluation (CAPE), the crash test facility on the campus of IMMI. According to the company, CAPE has crash tested more school bus seats than any other test house in the world.

IMMI officials said that special guest Congresswoman Susan Brooks and other attendees were impressed with the facility, and even more so with the difference lap-shoulder belts can make on school buses after witnessing the test.