Oakvillian

So, that school bus is designed to carry kids ranging in age (and size) from kindergarten to high school. Who is going to adjust the seat belts so that they work properly? Who is going to help the smallest passengers do up and undo their belts? Who is going to ensure they're all fastened before moving off from the bus stop?

Would it not be more sensible to design the seating in a school bus so that each seat acts as a compartmentalized safety cage for the children sitting in it? Oh, wait, isn't that how school buses are designed?

Overview of arguments for and against compartmentalization here http://www.hw-lawfirm.com/what-part-...ol-bus-safety/

mrken30

Lawyers are not the best source for safety information.

There are many Government reports on this subject. Here is just 2 comparable NHTSA reports. I could find more articles on tour buses, hence why most European buses now require seat belts to be fitted.

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2010/rpt/2010-R-0132.htm

Also my kid , who is currently able to ride on a bus under 10,000 lbs is belted in, so that is not an argument. They just have a chaperone on the bus.

Jerseygirl

I remember listening to an argument on TV about seat belts in US school buses. It was said that the seats are designed and are positioned to protect the passengers...and that seat belts wouldn’t be of any benefit. I was a little confused by that.

Oakvillian

Poorly adjusted seatbelts are counterproductive, and lead to an increase in, for example, whiplash injuries in motor vehicle accidents. Since it's exceedingly unlikely that children on a school bus would either (a) know how to, or (b) take the time to bother to, adjust their seatbelts properly, the best option is to design the school but so as to engage other injury-prevention techniques.

Seats are high-backed, padded, and closer together than in other vehicles, as well as being rigidly secured to the floor. The passenger compartment is high off the ground and protected against side-impact. The vehicle is heavy and has impact-absorbing components in the chassis. There have been many studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of this design philosophy, as compared to a "regular" bus with seat belts, to protect children of widely varying heights and weights in the event of an accident.

mrken30

Kids should be taught to buckle up from an early age. The philosophy you use explains a lot on why there are many teenagers killed in car accident by not wearing seat belts. If the bus is that safe, having loose fitting seat belts should not matter. Seat belts should be self adjusting in modern vehicles.

Plane seats are even closer pitch than school buses and it's advisable to wear seat belts. Planes also have energy absorbing seat backs.

scrubbedexpat091

Seat belts on school buses don't seem to be recommended in Canada either.

https://canadasafetycouncil.org/chil...s-school-buses

mrken30

I wonder if Canada has similar rates of teenagers not wearing seat belts when travelling in other vehicles.

zargof

Seat belts on planes are more to prevent injuries from turbulence than from from crashes.

Oakvillian

Straw man, much? Seat belts (lap belts) in planes are there primarily to prevent passengers moving vertically in turbulent air. Last I heard, buses generally do not experience vertical movement due to turbulence. Added to which, there are few planes that habitually carry a full passenger complement of unaccompanied children.

And of course kids in cars should be belted in. And their parents (or the responsible adult driving the car) should make sure that the seat belt fits properly, using a booster seat or cushion if necessary. That ain't gonna happen in a school bus.

This argument always goes round in circles. On one side is "I think my children's school bus should have seatbelts because my car does" and on the other is "here is an enormous body of research that demonstrates why seatbelts on school buses would be ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst." Take your pick; I know which side I'm on.

MidAtlantic

Apples and pears come to mind.

Lion in Winter

Stairs would add a whole other level of complexity.

.../Londoner

Oakvillian

That's very much more to do with teenagers' general attraction to risk. Plenty of research on that, too. Here's one to start the ball rolling
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...ed-risk-taking

Nutek

Are they bulletproof?

Because, you know... backpacks.

caretaker

zzrmark

I see your post and raise ...

“That’s really, I think, where our country is at right now. We put our dick in the toaster and we’re all waiting to see what happens. What the ****, man?”
— Jon Stewart