Grand Rapids, MI and Westfield, IN – October 27, 2007 – Today at the annual NASDPTS Conference, SafeGuard introduced the SafeGuard FlexSeat™ , a bus seat with three lap-shoulder belts that safely transports three elementary school children or two high school kids on a standard 39-inch seat. Introduced in partnership with Thomas Built Buses, the FlexSeat resolves capacity issues and enhances bus safety with its unique approach to maintaining compartmentalization. With the FlexSeat, one seat fits all.™

NHTSA research indicates that lap-shoulder belts, in every vehicle in which they have ever been introduced, reduce injuries and fatalities by 45 percent. Transportation directors, seeking to maximize the capacity of their buses and control overall transportation costs, have relied on the flexible capacity of unbelted seats. In the past, seat designs that included lap-shoulder belts have taken away this flexibility and reduced overall bus capacity. When all the capacity issues are on the table, few school districts have been able to advance the cause of adding lap-shoulder belts for the safety of the students.

SafeGuard Sales Director James Johnson said the FlexSeat presents a new concept in seating that addresses a significant industry argument against lap-shoulder belts for school buses. “Essentially, FlexSeat eliminates the capacity concerns related to the previous generation of school bus seats equipped with lap-shoulder belts. FlexSeat keeps kids on the school bus, by enabling school districts to carry the same number of students on belted seats as they carry on unbelted seats.”

Johnson noted that usage studies of the FlexSeat have indicated that children require minimal training requirements in the proper usage of the seat. “As with any other bus behavior policies, seat belt usage policies must be established and reinforced for the safety of the children,” he said. “Knowing, however, that it is possible some students may not buckle up, SafeGuard has designed the FlexSeat to maintain full compartmentalization in a frontal crash for any unbelted children.”

With SmartFrame® in a frontal crash, students are belted to the independent inner frame of the seat, which pivots forward several degrees to separate from the outer seatback. The padded outer frame remains in position to absorb the energy of any unbelted children from the seat behind. This technology enables FlexSeat to observe the full spirit of FMVSS compartmentalization, while providing the additional protection of lap-shoulder belts. Even an unrestrained child receives full compartmentalization protection, regardless of whether the child in front is restrained.

The SafeGuard FlexSeat, shown at the NAPT Show, is available today on Thomas Built Buses.

About SafeGuard

SafeGuard has been the leader in child passenger protection for more than 20 years and is the largest child seating safety products manufacturer in the world. Bus seats made by SafeGuard undergo the most rigorous testing in the school transportation industry. Engineers at SafeGuard utilize the company’s modern testing facility to verify the performance of bus seating products, as well as support product development of its OEM customers in the school bus industry. Over the past decade, SafeGuard has conducted ten full barrier crash tests on school buses to gain a full understanding of student occupant protection. To support the development of the company’s bus seat products, SafeGuard has conducted more than 200 sled tests and 20 school bus rollover tests, as well as performing tests on thousands of components to assure performance and durability.

For more information on the SafeGuard FlexSeat, visit safeguardseat.com, or call 877-447-2305.