Should Seat Belts Be Used in School Buses?

Before you leave the hospital with a newborn, you must have a car seat installed in your vehicle. Children are strapped into specially-designed seats and boosters for years. We drill children with the mantra “buckle up!” before we pull out of any driveway or parking space. This raises an important question: Why aren’t there seat belts in school buses? Your transportation service in Tacoma, WA has answers.

The issue has been hotly debated for years. Two states, New York and New Jersey, are the only ones that currently require seat belts on large public school buses. So, what about the other 48 states? Don’t they care about safety? Shouldn’t they require seat belts on buses, too? There are reasonable arguments on both sides.

Buckle Up

• Protection: Seat belts can reduce the number and severity of injuries and the likelihood of death if a serious crash occurs. They offer additional protection in the case of side-impact or rollover accidents.
• Behavior: Children strapped in with seat belts might be less likely to misbehave. Using seat belts can improve their behavior on the bus.
• Distractions: If children used seat belts, there would be fewer driver distractions. This can increase the overall safety of the bus ride.
• Reinforcement: Children are told to buckle up in all other vehicles. By requiring them to use seat belts on buses, we would reinforce this good safety habit consistently.
• Cost: The cost of installation of seat belts on buses would not be very high. The increased safety would easily outweigh the nominal cost.

Not Needed

• No value: In most fatal accidents, seat belts would not prove helpful. They do not add to the safety of the bus in these cases.
• No danger: The concern for children’s safety is outside the bus, not inside. More children are injured or killed walking to and from the bus and the bus stop than while riding on the bus.
• No data: There is a lack of statistical evidence that seat belts make buses safer by reducing injuries or fatalities.
• No need: School buses are already equipped with safety measures. They have heavily padded seats to absorb impact, and they are heavy vehicles that are less affected by the force of crashes than other types of transportation.
• No guarantee: The installation of seat belts cannot guarantee that children will use them. In fact, improper use of them could increase risk of injury.
• No protection: Rather than act as a protectant, the seat belts could cause harm. Riders can use them to strike or choke fellow passengers.
• No funds: Even if the cost is minimal, the money used to install seat belts could be used for other, more effective safety efforts or school needs.

Find Out More

Would you like more information about local transportation options in your area? Contact a transportation service in Tacoma, WA for details. At Around The Sound/TransPro, we offer in-depth knowledge of transportation vehicles and safety. Our full line of services includes transportation arrangements for nearly any occasion. Reach out to us today to make arrangements for your next ride.

Categorised in: Transportation Service

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