BUSK (U.K.) Archives
A charity in the United Kingdom, BUSK—standing for ‘Belt Up School Kids’—started in 1993.
One year later, BUSK persuaded the popular U.K. children’s television show Blue Peter to run a competition to produce a poster with the theme “Why are there no seat belts on my school bus?” Pat Harris, appeared on the show to explain how livestock had better occupant protection laws than the nation’s children. The competition attracted over 33,000 entrants from 5 to 15 years old. The winner had been involved in a recent car crash after which first responders told his parents his seat belt had saved his life. The winning poster was displayed all across the country and traffic hotspots.
In 1996, Pat also traveled to the EU to present her case on the necessity of seat belts for school children traveling by road. After four years of campaigning, fitting seat belts on school vehicles became U.K. law in 1997.
BUSK continued to work for higher legislative standards and launched the BUSK Benchmark in 2013. It is the only independent star rating for U.K. minibuses and motorcoaches based on legal compliance and is part of U.K. national guidelines
CPSOMA is currently accessioning the BUSK archives as part of a special collection to help improve awareness and legislation.
Special Projects
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Safe Ride News Pioneers Project
Safe Ride News has been the leading publication for the child passenger safety industry since 1981. First managed and edited by Deborah Davis Stewart, the publication received financial support from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) before later becoming an independent publication. Safe Ride News is also the published of the biennial LATCH Manual, a publication which critical details on every child restraint and vehicle sold in the United States including information on limits, features, and production dates.
In recent years, the managerial staff have been conducting oral histories with many pioneers of child passenger safety efforts including activists, doctors, and many others. Those interviews, are fully transcribed and searchable by keyword and available for viewing as part of a special collection. As the project continues at Safe Ride News, the collection will be constantly updated.
