CLEVELAND (WJW) — Seat belts, save lives. It’s a punchline crafted to keep you safe in a car.

However, the phrase has meant nothing to kids taking the bus to school in Ohio for decades.

“I look at seat belts the way you look at a fire extinguisher. They are absolutely necessary to prevent catastrophic loss.”

That quote is from Rudy Greglia, who worked for 40 years as a toxicologist on countless car accidents. During that time, he became a passionate supporter for seat belt wearing.

“Millions of lives have been saved because of seat belts in passenger cars,” Greglia said.

Now I’m retirement, Greglia has become an advocate for placing the simple task of “buckling up” in every school bus in Ohio.

“You can enhance the safety of school buses by having seat belts,” Greglia said.

Now, it appears Greglia’s push is starting to gain traction where it matters.

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown is one of several politicians working on a potential legislation called the School Bus Safety Act.

This bill would call for a number of upgrades to school busses nationwide, including a seat belt for every student on board.

“I support the bill because it does the things, it’s what I have wanted for years,” added Greglia, noting he’s gotten plenty of pushback over the years for his idea. “Cost, it adds about 5-to-10% for a school bus. But two, it’s something new for school districts.”

Now, he’s hoping to see this bill become law. His reason: a child’s safety is priceless.