Now see yet another school bus crash!?

Question

Why doesn't anyone think of putting seats that are the same size as in a car....with seatbelts....to keep our kids safe? I do believe kids would wear the seatbelts out of habit. I know that's the first thing my kids do when they get in the car. They have seen the news about the bus crashes and also believe there should be seatbelts.

Answer 1

The design of school buses is totally archaic but I believe the reason for that has to do with money, the money they don't want to spend. They would rather dupe us into believing that our children are safe because they stop at railroad crossings and don't turn on red. The buses are very unsafe especially considering that the children just get tossed around like ragdolls in any type of accident. Of course we have to wear seat belts in our cars even if we are driving just 20mph or we get a ticket. They claim they are saving our lives but I don't see that they are saving the lives of our school children.

Answer 2

I don't understand why there aren't seat belts in school buses either. I live in Ohio, right near the borders of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and it seems like at least once a week I hear about a school bus crash on the news. It's terrible. It's time to start pushing for mandatory seat belts in buses.

Answer 3

Mm-hmm nicely, it have been given taken off with the aid of fact youngsters have been strangling one yet another with the seatbelts... nicely, in any case, there are some undesirable factors approximately it like... a million. the size wont in great condition, exceedingly as maximum toddlers dont recognize the thank you to tighten/loosen them 2. likely to get caught, and is no longer waiting to get out - exceedingly if nearing your stop 3. toddlers muck around with them - like hitting different toddlers contained in the pinnacle with the buckle 4. toddlers 'injury' them and that they constantly finally end up breakaway - leaving the business corporation having to pay for hundreds 5. Stacks of toddlers journey the bus, and that they on occasion might desire to have 3 or much greater youngsters on one seat, and that's not accepted u see greater desirable than 3 seatbelts on a 2 seater (returned no longer leaving sufficient space for the rounder human beings) 6. The returned seat is the longest, and might in great condition around 4 to love 10. isn't sufficient space. If there have been basically 4 seatbelts, then there's no longer sufficient space, and if there have been ten seatbelts - nicely, you recognize. 7. college buses are not college buses each and every of the time, they're additionally public buses

Answer 4

Bus Construction

In an accident involving a school bus, most fatalities and injuries occur outside of the bus. The construction of a typical school bus creates a safer passenger environment than that of a car or lighter vehicle. The impact of a crash is weaker because buses are heavier. This force is distributed differently along a bus. Buses have a body-on-frame design. This greatly differs from lighter vehicles, and provides impact protection not found elsewhere.

A bus' interior also differs from a car. The use of closely spaced seats that have padded backs -- a design called compartmentalization -- creates an enclosed environment for passengers in the absence of seat belts.

Studies of Safety
Numerous studies examining the effectiveness of different belt types and seating arrangements came to the same conclusion: seatbelts on a bus have more drawbacks than advantages.

Neither lap nor lap-and-shoulder belts on a bus provide the same type of protection offered in a car. During a head-on collision, the most common type for belts, lap belts, increase the risk of injury. On impact, this type of restraint allows a passenger's head to jerk forward, risking severe head and neck injury. Lap and shoulder belts would require the installation of stiffer seats. These seats could become a source of impact injury. Studies also showed that children slip downwards when restrained by lap and shoulder belts, risking injury to vulnerable internal organs.

In 1999, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) examined the effect of seat belt installation in buses. They came to the conclusion that seat belts actually would result in head injuries and fatalities. In fact, the NTSB found a relationship between most injuries/deaths and the seating position of the passenger. In these cases, the presence of seat belts would change nothing.

While there is no evidence proving that seat belts on buses save lives, there is reason to worry they may cause harm. During an emergency, seat belts could hinder young children from quickly exiting the bus; they simply could not free themselves. Drivers would be hard pressed to monitor belt usage for every student. And the heavy buckles could be used as weapons.

Studies by federal agencies, including the NTSB, have shown bus construction provides greater safety than seat belts ever could. Comparing the design of a school bus to a car is like comparing apples to oranges. Where belts protect passengers during car collisions, their presence may cause severe injuries on a bus. Seatbelts are only required on small buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds because their design more closely resembles a car. It is ironic, but the reality is that seat belts have no place on a school bus.

Answer 5

just because your kids do it as habit doesnt mean they do! i go to lee with the kids that were in the bus crash and i rode in a car with some of them before and they do not use a seatbelt in their own car, so they wouldnt use one in a bus

Answer 6

It's a question of cost. As there are (relatively) few bus crashes, and they tend to be at low speed - is it economical to force all school buses to have seat belts? The answer is probably no, which is why they don't..

Answer 7

i used to have a contract running children to school and the condition of the contract was that all seats were fitted with full seat belts,lap belts not the solution where childrens safety is concerned and i think booster seats for smaller children are a must

Answer 8

Kids CANNOT run around in a moving bus, and the actual injury-death rate on school busses is very low.

Answer 9

I can only agree with you i know i use public transportation alot and I'm always looking for the seat belt ,,

Answer 10

crazy aint it.. here in Virginia they just passed a law about no loose dogs in back of pickup. but kid can run around in a bus while drivine.