SchoolNurse.com:Seat Belts

Seat Belts on School Buses?

According to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), there is considerable misunderstanding about school bus safety. The public perception that seat belts are necessary is based on the fact that people think buses are the same as passenger cars. NAPT feels that large buses do not need to be equipped with seat belts because of a safety design called compartmentalizaton. Buses that weigh more than 10,000 pounds are built to offer "passive restraint" to riders: strong, padded, flexible, closely-spaced seats that protect passengers in the same way an egg carton protects its contents.

Critics say compartmentalization doesn't offer adequate protection in side impacts or rollovers, where students don't get thrown into the well-padded seats in front of them but are ejected through the bus windows or thrown against the floor or ceiling.

With the tide seeming to turn toward some kind of active restraint on large buses, transportation officials are making a distinction between two-point or lap belts and three-point or shoulder harness restraints. Some say any kind of restraint is better than no restraint, but transportation officials disagree. "We aren't against seat belts, " says Ted Tull, administrative director for NAPT. "We're against lap belts." In case of accidents, he and others say, lap belts have the potential to cause stomach and head injuries in children who would not have been injured at all if they weren't being restrained. "We don't see clear evidence that lap belts would improve bus safety." Three-point shoulder harnesses cannot be installed on school buses as they are currently designed. Shoulder belts could be anchored to the bus body on the window sides of seats, but there would be no place to anchor the belts for the aisle seats.
Seat belt advocates have listed what they consider five major advantages to seat belts on school buses:

improve children's safety in collisions
reduce the incidence of injuries caused by sticking heads or arms out of windows
improve behavior by keeping children in their seats
reduce noncollision injuries, such as children falling from seats when their feet don't touch the floor
reinforce the buckle-up message to children

Another problem area includes concern by bus drivers over the time it would take to make sure that 50-80 children are belted before the bus starts.

The cost of installing seat belts on large school buses is estimated at $1,000-1,500 per bus. Three states currently require seat belts on school buses: New York, New Jersey and Florida.

(Vail K. Am Sch Board J November, 1999, pp. 47-49)

Comment: The way to settle this argument is to monitor statistics from the three states requiring seat belts and see if their safety record is better than the other states. - R.A.






			Seat Belts on School Buses? According to the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT), there is considerable misunderstanding about school bus safety. The public perception that seat belts are necessary is based on the fact that people think buses are the same as passenger cars. NAPT feels that large buses do not need to be equipped with seat belts because of a safety design called compartmentalizaton. Buses that weigh more than 10,000 pounds are built to offer "passive restraint" to riders: strong, padded, flexible, closely-spaced seats that protect passengers in the same way an egg carton protects its contents. Critics say compartmentalization doesn't offer adequate protection in side impacts or rollovers, where students don't get thrown into the well-padded seats in front of them but are ejected through the bus windows or thrown against the floor or ceiling. With the tide seeming to turn toward some kind of active restraint on large buses, transportation officials are making a distinction between two-point or lap belts and three-point or shoulder harness restraints. Some say any kind of restraint is better than no restraint, but transportation officials disagree. "We aren't against seat belts, " says Ted Tull, administrative director for NAPT. "We're against lap belts." In case of accidents, he and others say, lap belts have the potential to cause stomach and head injuries in children who would not have been injured at all if they weren't being restrained. "We don't see clear evidence that lap belts would improve bus safety." Three-point shoulder harnesses cannot be installed on school buses as they are currently designed. Shoulder belts could be anchored to the bus body on the window sides of seats, but there would be no place to anchor the belts for the aisle seats. Seat belt advocates have listed what they consider five major advantages to seat belts on school buses: improve children's safety in collisions reduce the incidence of injuries caused by sticking heads or arms out of windows improve behavior by keeping children in their seats reduce noncollision injuries, such as children falling from seats when their feet don't touch the floor reinforce the buckle-up message to children Another problem area includes concern by bus drivers over the time it would take to make sure that 50-80 children are belted before the bus starts. The cost of installing seat belts on large school buses is estimated at $1,000-1,500 per bus. Three states currently require seat belts on school buses: New York, New Jersey and Florida. (Vail K. Am Sch Board J November, 1999, pp. 47-49) Comment: The way to settle this argument is to monitor statistics from the three states requiring seat belts and see if their safety record is better than the other states. - R.A.



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