subject: School Bus Crashes—Could Seatbelts Make The Difference? [print this page] School Bus CrashesCould Seatbelts Make The Difference?
School bus crashescould seatbelts make the difference? All across the country there are laws for drivers of motor vehicles and commercial vehicles to wear seatbelts and if the driver and occupants do not they can be fined. Buses on the other hand are not equipped with seatbelts, not even school buses in most cases.
There are advocates that are in favor of having seatbelts installed in buses, especially school buses and then there are others that believe the design of the seats is protection for the passengers. The advocates for seatbelts on school buses point out the fact that children no matter what age they are when riding in another motor vehicle are required to wear seatbelts.
There are some states that have passed legislation that new school buses will need to have lap belts or shoulder belts on new school buses. The problem with this is that school buses last much longer than the average personal motor vehicle and although the new bus might have the lap or shoulder belts it would be up to the bus driver to enforce their use.
School bus crashescould seatbelts make the difference? There have been studies done into the safety of school bus safety belts and one that was done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that lap belts could increase the risk of being injured. The injuries wearing these two point safety belts could be to the neck and abdomen. Shoulder belts in their study only fared slightly better when worn correctly and it is believed that children might not wear them correctly. When the shoulder belts are not worn correctly they provide no protection to the child wearing them.
School bus crashes can happen on any roadways in any state, including Topanga California and this means that children are at risk for being injured. The injuries they can have from a bus crash can range from scrapes and bruises to gashes and broken bones. This is a heavy vehicle that when involved in an accident will throw the children around, there are windows that can break and metal inside the bus that can injure children. In rare instances the bus can even roll over and there are in very rare instances children that are killed in school bus crashes. Can seatbelts help protect children in Topanga, California or other cities and towns is still up for debate.
