Are Seat Belts Safe on School Buses?
The National Highway Traffic Safety administration (NHTSA) states that adequate protection is provided by the high seat backs that are standard equipment on school buses. Proponents of new seat belt laws argue that restraints on school buses save serious injuries and lives.
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Significance
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Research shows that school buses are safer than other types of transportation for children and that the use of only lap belts can be more harmful than no belt. Large school buses rely on strong, well-padded, energy-absorbing seats with high backs to "compartmentalize" and protect passengers.
Misconceptions
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The general public perception is that seat belts on school buses are necessary and that protection offered by compartmentalization does not adequately protect children. This perception is based on the fact that all other transportation requires restraints for all passengers.
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Benefits
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Advantages to seat belt use include children's safety in collisions, reduced injuries caused by arms and heads sticking out of windows, improved behavior as children remain seated and the message to always buckle up being reinforced.
Disadvantages
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The National Association for Pupil Transportation officials feel the potential for serious injury is greater with lap belts as the only kind of restraint. There is not enough evidence that seat belts improve bus safety.
Potential
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The safety of children is the focus of planning in several progressive states. Texas and California are among those initiating new laws requiring lap-shoulder restraints on all large buses in the future. It is the consensus that lap belts, combined with shoulder restraints, save injuries and lives of school bus passengers.
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