The state directors association said that it supports the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)'s new school bus-related findings and that they reinforce the association's position on lap-shoulder belts.

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) said in a statement on Friday that the NTSB's investigation of last year's fatal school bus crash in Chesterfield, N.J., pointed out a number of student transportation concerns. Those include school bus driver fatigue, medications, medical examinations and driver training, as well as school bus occupant injuries and school bus crashworthiness.

NASDPTS noted that the NTSB findings reinforce the association's position supporting the installation and use of lap-shoulder belts in school buses, as long as appropriate funding is made available to do so.

NASDPTS said that it looks forward to working with other pupil transportation associations in support of the NTSB safety recommendations addressed to the school bus community.

"The findings and recommendations are of significant interest to NASDPTS and the school bus community and will serve as a roadmap for making school bus transportation safer than ever before," NASDPTS President Max Christensen said.