Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Wednesday signed a bill that creates a state program to help school systems pay for equipping their school buses with lap-and-shoulder seat belts.
The General Assembly passed the bill in response to the Jan. 9 death of Vikas Parikh, 16, a Rocky Hill High School student, who died when the bus in which he was riding -- which did not have seat belts -- plunged down an embankment after a collision on I-84.
"Every parent's worst nightmare is the loss of a child. While Connecticut's school buses have long had a good safety record, the tragic death of a Rocky Hill High School student in a January school bus accident has spurred all of us to look for ways to improve school bus safety," Rell said in a written statement. "This law provides a modicum of state assistance to districts wanting to add seat belts to their fleet but does not impose a costly new mandate on all districts -- striking a good balance between incentive and choice."