![]() ![]() In the event of a crash, the seats absorb most of the impact, protecting the children who sit in them. In addition, they're packed together tightly to achieve compartmentalization. ![]() School bus seats have high backs and lots of cushioning. The National Safety Council concluded that school buses are 40 times safer than the average family car, making them the safest of all forms of ground transportation. Yet, fewer than 10 children die each year in school bus accidents, and studies show that seat belts would not have prevented most of those deaths.īy way of comparison, about 800 children die each year while walking, biking, or riding in a passenger car to or from school. Each year, over 400,000 public school buses carry almost 25 million children more than 4 billion miles. Modern school buses are large and heavy, and their passengers sit high off the ground. In a cost/benefit analysis, the cost of adding seat belts to school buses outweighs any potential benefits, according to NHTSA studies. Why wouldn't the federal government require school buses to have seat belts? The simple answer is that they don't need them. To date, only six states (California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, and Texas) require seat belts on school buses, and some of those states only require them on newer buses. Federal law does require seat belts on lighter buses, but the seat belt decision for larger buses is left to the states. Today, the United States government, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), does not require seat belts on school buses weighing over 10,000 pounds. Have you ever WONDERed why? Does it seem strange to pack dozens of precious lives into a big yellow tube and send it speeding down the road without any seat belts? Where's that? To school! In fact, the overwhelming majority of school buses across the United States do not have seat belts. If you're like most kids around the country, though, there's probably one ride where you don't have to wear a seat belt. ![]() If you're ever in an automobile accident, seat belts can save your life and minimize injuries. It's such a common thing to do, you probably don't even think twice about it. When you ride in a car or a truck, you always have to wear a seat belt. Before you can pull out of the driveway, though, there's one thing you need to do. You pack your books and electronic devices into a bag and jump in the back seat. When it's time for a road trip, you know what to do. ![]()
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