Why don school buses have seat belts?
School bus transportation is one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. School bus crash data show that a Federal requirement for belts on buses would provide little, if any, added protection in a crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) have come to the same conclusion. NTSB concluded in a 1987 study of school bus crashes that most fatalities and injuries were due to occupant seating positions being in direct line with the crash forces. NTSB stated that seat belts would not have prevented most of the serious injuries and fatalities occurring in school bus crashes. For more information, click here.
Two things all moms tell their kids — don’t smoke and always wear a seat belt. No problem on the not smoking, Ma — but wearing a seat belt on the school bus? That’s rarely an option. So what’s the story? Shouldn’t school buses have the same safety features as cars, trucks, and SUVs? Well, not necessarily. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration argues that seat belts aren’t the most effective way to protect passengers on school buses. Instead the big yellow beasts employ something called “compartmentalization.” Think back to your days on the good ol’ school bus. Remember how those rigid green seats were wedged closer together than on even the cheapest no-frills airline? That’s compartmentalization in action. Sitting in “strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy
