Katie Couric's Notebook: School Bus Safety
Video: Most of us don't worry about our kids when they're on a school bus.
But after the recent tragedy in Alabama, in which four teenagers died, maybe we should.
Some 17-thousand kids end up in the emergency room every year because of school bus accidents -- most from getting on or off the bus.
But a lot of SERIOUS injuries could be prevented by something that's standard in every American car -- seat belts. Buses, in most states, aren't required to have them.
A group of students at the University of Massachusetts, motivated by the death of a student in a school bus accident, decided to do something to make buses safer. As a class project, they created a portable safety belt -- one any kid can carry and strap onto any seat.
It works so well, the students are now applying for a patent.
Necessity is the mother of invention. And this could soon be one invention every mother can be grateful for.
That's a page from my notebook.