School buses scare me, why don't they ....

[chloe-babe]

All new school buses are fitted with seatbelts, are the buses that your children go on alot older?

I am in the UK, and our daughters have a mini bus for trips, and our eldest daughter has a school bus that picks them up and takes them to school every day - both have seatbelts. I wouldnt let them on if they didnt.

 

[he432]

I remember in elementary school, every year the people form the bus company would come and review how to get out safely in case of emergency and go over safety features with us and things like that.... from what I remember, the seats are designed so that a seatbelt isn't necessary for the average sized kid.

By the time I was in high school, some of the buses we used for field trips had seatbelts in the first few rows that I assume little kids used during the morning/afternoon run.

 

[olialm1]

Uh, they DO have seat belts. What kind of bus are you talking about? The yellow ones or the regular ones that are meant for all and not just kids at school? The yellow ones do. At least the ones I took in middle school and high school did.

 

[he432]

^^^ our yellow school buses didn't... I think it depends on the state/province/country and their transportation laws

 

[surferchick2]

Seat Belts on School Buses
by Ann Svensen


"Buckle up for safety!" When it comes to car accidents, there's no doubt about it -- seat belts save lives. But what about seat belts on school buses? New York and New Jersey are the only two states that require seat belts on large public-school buses, but across the country a heated debate is brewing. Last year alone, 17 states introduced seat-belt bills. None of them passed.

There are heavy hitters on either side of the seat-belt debate. The National PTA and The American Academy of Pediatrics are in favor of equipping all large school buses with seat belts. But The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) are not convinced that seat belts would increase safety.

Those in favor of seat belts on school buses say that teaching children to buckle up in any vehicle should be a consistent message. But NAPT President Donald Carnahan says, "Seat belts in cars and lap belts on school buses are completely different safety issues."

To buckle up...
The National Coalition for Seatbelts on School Buses lists the following as reasons why all large school buses should have seatbelts. (Smaller school buses that weigh less than 10,000 pounds are already required to have them.)


If a crash occurs, the use of seat belts will reduce the probability of death and the severity of injuries to children correctly seated in school buses.
Seat belt usage improves passenger behavior and reduces driver distractions.
Seat belts offer protection against injuries in rollover or side impact crashes.
Seat belt usage in school buses reinforces good safety habits.
The cost to install seat belts is nominal.
...Or not to buckle up
Opponents of seat belts on large buses disagree, saying that they are not only unnecessary, but could also be hazardous. According to the NHSTA:


Seat belts are of no value in the majority of fatal accidents.
More children are killed around school buses -- walking to and from the school bus stop -- than inside school buses.
No data proves conclusively that seat belts reduce fatalities or injuries on school buses.
School buses are specifically designed with safety in mind. They are heavier and experience less crash force than smaller cars and trucks. School buses also have high padded seats specifically design to absorb impact.
There is no guarantee that once installed students will use seatbelts. Studies have shown that mixed and improper use of seat belts can increase the risk of injuries.
There is concern that seat belts could be used as weapons to strike or choke other passengers.
Money proposed for seat belt installation could be better spent on other safety measures.
Both sides of the debate agree that school bus transportation is one of the safest forms of travel in the U.S. -- far safer than riding in a car. Since 1984, an average of 11 passengers a year have died in school bus crashes, according to the NHSTA. The group is currently researching ways to make school buses even safer. They are accepting ideas through the end of the year.

http://www.stnonline.com/

 

[Louiebabeee]

I live in upstate NY and any bus I have ever been on all through school had seatbelts. We could use them if we wanted but we didnt have to. I think its odd that bused dont have them there, if kids know how to use them they should....

 

[surferchick2]

New York and New Jersey are the only two states that require seat belts on large public-school buses.

 

[MarneeB]

We drive our son to and from school, and this is one of the reasons why. I think all school buses should have seatbelts and they should make sure the kids use them. The drivers all have seatbelts, are their lives more important that our childrens' lives?!

 

[fabae]

at least in tx by i believe 2012 all our school buses will be equipped with seat belts, some of the new buses have them already.

i guess the thing that scares me when they do have them is that an accident will occur and then children will be stuck in the bus because they are too frantic/frazzled to realize how to unbuckle it. and if by chance a fire or in water...that is a scary thought.

Yep, I think that's it. And the seat backs are really high - so when they hit a bump or slam on the brakes, you can't really go flying forward. Though I can't say that smashing into it WOULDN'T hurt.

I think that kids would just get up and go if they had to get off and wouldn't think about helping others like adults would. It's best (lesser of two evils, obviously) that they not be strapped in in most situations.

And, no, I'm not saying that it makes buses SAFE. Again, lesser of two evils.

 

[kattykay]

My son is 14 and he said that ALL of the buses for all grades in our town have seatbelts. We live in southern NJ. He also said that most of the kids use them but not all. I already knew this info. Just wanted to add that I think all school buses should have them. Im also wondering why other school buses in other states dont have seat belts?

yeah same up here my buses in high school had seatbelts and that was a few years ago when i graduated.

 

[Beach Bum]

ALL our buses HAVE seatbelts here.....

 

[divadivine682]

I live in NY and thank goodness our busses do have them. Do the kids use them? NO. Is the bus driver enforcing it? NOOOO. It aggrivates me to no end. I tell my son to use it but who the heck knows what those kids do in the bus...

 

[Iscats]

I'm in Colorado and the school buses here do not have seat belts. I have gone on lots of field trips with my children. Yesterday there was a tragic accident here, a sixteen year old boy was driving, his sister was in the back seat and another student in the front. He stopped at a sign and I guess didn't see the school bus coming and proceeded through the intersection, well the bus hit them. There were no injuries on the bus but the driver and passenger are in the hospital and his sister in the back died on the seen. Its so sad! I wish there were better ways to protect our children.

 

[wordbox]

I'm in Michigan and our school buses didn't have seat belts, at least not while I was in school. Every once in awhile you'd come across one that had them, but no one used them.

 

[Junkenpo]

I live in NY and thank goodness our busses do have them. Do the kids use them? NO. Is the bus driver enforcing it? NOOOO. It aggrivates me to no end. I tell my son to use it but who the heck knows what those kids do in the bus...

Our buses don't have them, and I think even if they did we'd have the same problem. Maybe not at the elementary level, but by the time they get to middle and high school, good luck getting them to buckle up. They already grafitti the seats with markers & gum. They'd just stick the gum in the belt click thingies...