REDWATER, Alta - A doctor working in the emergency room the day 15 children were injured in a school bus accident is urging the province to put seatbelts in school buses.

"Their faces were pretty bashed in," said Dr. Johannes Botha. "(There were) cuts on their lips, noses broken and a couple kids had concussions."

Botha said he blames the lack of seatbelts for the severity of injuries from an accident on Dec. 10 when a loaded school bus went into a ditch on Highway 28 close to Redwater, Alta.

A car had veered into the bus's lane, causing the driver to react quickly to avoid the car.

"Some of them actually hit their necks and the anterior portion of their necks on the benches in front of them," he said. "That could probably be prevented if they all wore seatbelts."

Botha said he'd like to see the province adopt legislation that would see seatbelts in all Alberta school buses.

Many U.S. states already require safety straps on buses.

In 1987, New York became the first state to require two-point lap belts on new school buses, followed by New Jersey in 1992. Florida recently passed a similar law, and California has moved to require three-point shoulder belts on new buses.

However, some experts suggest seatbelts in buses may cause more harm than good.

A 1999 study by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board revealed seatbelts could cause head and pelvis injuries along with deaths in severe crashes.

In 2006, Transport Canada objected to putting seatbelts in school buses, largely siding with a number of studies showing their negative effects.

Premier Ed Stelmach said any charges to local buses would have to come from the federal government. However, he said there are certain cases where the province may want to step in.

"In the small passenger buses especially when we're transporting special needs students that I believe can be reviewed," Stelmach said.

Despite the number of studies showing seatbelts may not lessen injuries, Georgina Stilborn said she still would like to see them in every bus. Her son was on the bus on Dec. 10 near Redwater.

She said her son passed out after the bus veered into the ditch.

"He said it happened so fast," she said. "He looked up, the car was there and then they were in the ditch."

School buses carry almost three million Canadian children every day, according to the Canada Safety Council.

More to come...