The loss of a child is a tragedy no one should have to endure. While many are consumed by grief, one parent from Los Angeles has channeled their pain into advocating for change. Recently, a Redditor named Bitter-Answer-4613 shared a petition proposing “Emory’s Law,” a new regulation that would mandate essential safety features on all school buses. This effort comes in response to the heartbreaking loss of their daughter in a preventable accident, pushing for stricter safety measures to protect other children.
Emory Sayre was a young girl whose life was taken too soon after being involved in an incident. The Los Angeles girl was run over by her own school bus on April 25, 2022. Her parent claimed that the accident could have been prevented if the bus had basic safety features. “No parent should have to endure this heartbreak, and no child should be put at unnecessary risk due to outdated safety regulations,” the parent said.
The petition description also includes a statistic from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to the organization, 218 school-age children died in school bus-related crashes from 2011 to 2020, with nearly 40% being pedestrians. Motivated by both their personal tragedy and these alarming numbers, the Los Angeles parent is calling on lawmakers to mandate life-saving safety measures on all school buses.
A Good Change
Emory’s Law proposes three key safety measures. First, Safety Crossing Arm Gates will prevent children from walking into blind spots. Second, school buses should be equipped with cameras and sensors to alert drivers when a child is in harm’s way. Lastly, the law will require bus drivers to undergo enhanced training and accountability measures to reduce the number of preventable accidents.
The Los Angeles parent noted that these features are currently optional in many states. Instead of leaving children’s safety up to school districts, the parent wants this new law to become a national standard. “We believe no child’s life should depend on a budget decision,” the parent said.
At the time of writing, there are currently over seven thousand verified signatures. Many agree that these safety features should be mandatory—and not just in Los Angeles. “Seems like this legislation should be a no-brainer. No child should have to be at risk of this sort of accident. No parent should have to say goodbye to their child due to a lack of simple safety measures,” one supporter noted.
