Car seats and booster seats are required by law whenever you transport a child, in a car, under the age of eight and the weight of 80 pounds. Why then, are not even seat belts required on school buses that carry children as young as five for kindergarten, or in the case of special services and private preschools as young as three?
This was a question that I debated with our neighbor across the road as we watched our kids, in first and second grade, load on to the bus. This year we have a great bus driver who makes sure the kids are as safe as possible. Last year, the driver would pull out even before kids were seated, sometimes causing them to fly back through the bus.
Thankfully, we no longer have that driver, but it still raises an interesting question about the lack of seat belts. Do you remember a couple of years ago when four teens were killed in Alabama and many others injured when a school bus went over the edge of a highway overpass and fell below to the street, flinging students out of their seats?
One main reason that school busses don’t have seat belts is because it would limit the capacity of the bus. Many school districts expect three small children to share one seat, therefore requiring fewer buses. With seat belts, you are limited to two children per seat. This may force the school district because of limited funds to extend the range of those who are not eligible for bus transportation, forcing students to walk or bike, and this may not only be an inconvenience but also a safety hazard.
Another argument against seat belts is that in the event of the bus falling into open water, younger children may not be able to unhook the seat belts.
Pilot programs are testing out seat belt use on small buses.
Where do you stand on this issue? Should school buses have seat belts?
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