You might be surprised to learn that more than 17,000 students are injured each year in school bus accidents. And most of those injuries occur, dangerously, to students’ heads. This statistic has led officials to reexamine the question, should school buses have seatbelts? Currently, seatbelts are only allotted for the driver and one passenger. Whether your child rides the school bus each morning or not, this is a debate worth having, and one you may want to pay attention to. Why? Because it involves the safety of our children—all of our children.
What do you think—should school buses have seatbelts? According to the experts, yes. Or is it no? They can’t seem to decide.
One of the main reasons seatbelts haven’t been added to school buses as of yet is because of the (surprise) cost. Right now, without seatbelts, each seat on a bus can hold three students. With seatbelts, each seat will only be able to hold two students, providing the need for more school buses. Funny, with all the things we spend money on in this country, you’d think our children’s safety would be a priority as far as expenditures are concerned…
Advocates who oppose the use of seatbelts on school buses claim that they can cause internal injuries. Personally, I think the risk of internal injuries is much less than the dangers associated with a child being catapulted out of a bus seat and into the air if a school bus rolls over or has a major collision.
Chances are that seatbelts won’t be added to school buses anytime soon. In fact, unless a huge call to action is initiated, I find myself doubtful that they’ll ever be added. For all our children’s sake, let’s hope legislators, school officials, and other governing bodies come together and make an informed decision that will ultimately benefit the future of this country.