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Pros & Cons of the Seatbelt issue? The past ten years have seen many studies done on this subject with still no clear cut resolve. Advocates of belts on buses offer the following arguments in support of requiring belts on buses: * Advocates of belts on buses interpret available crash-test and case-study data as indicating that belts provide improved crash protection and are beneficial especially in side-impacts and roll-overs. Approximately one-third of the fatal crashes between 1977 and 2000 were non-frontal crash types that compartmentalization is not designed for. * Use of seat belts can provide a reduction in injuries to out-of-position students kept in their seats by seat belts. * Use of seat belts can lead to improvements in passenger behavior and distractions to drivers. * Use of seat belts in school buses will help to reinforce seat belt educational messages aimed at school-age children with the carry-over effect helping to remind children to use seat belts in cars.
Opponents of belts on buses offer the following arguments against requiring belts on buses: * The majority of school bus-related deaths and injuries to children do not result from crashes. Most school bus related deaths are to occupants of other vehicles (56%) and pedestrians (30%). The majority of children killed as pedestrians are those getting on or off the bus who are struck by either their own bus (69% of pedestrian deaths) or another vehicle (29% of pedestrian deaths) * For the less severe crashes, opponents of belts on buses often interpret the same available crash-test and case-study data as indicating that seat belts are harmful and thus argue that belts decrease crash protection since jackknifing of the students' bodies over the belts targets the head into the back of the seats in front of them. * School bus collisions that result in death or serious injuries are often catastrophic crashes involving large trucks or trains where belts would not help. * Evacuation of the bus in case of fire could be hampered by belted occupants.( It only takes 30 seconds to be overcome by smoke!) * Installation of seat belts does not guarantee use by students. The need for drivers to monitor belt use would increase, rather than decrease distractions. * There are no Federal standards covering the installation of seat belts on large school buses. * Sharing of buses by different schools means that belts would be used by very different sizes of children leading to difficulties of assuring a correct fit for all students. In an effort to show both sides of the issue this page has excerpts of studies by various groups that show many good points by both sides. The format will be to show a sentence or two that hopefully reflects the position of the study. At the beginning of the excerpt will be a reference number. By clicking on the corrosponding number on the table to the right you can read the entire article. *After reading an article if you click the "back" button on your task bar you will return to this page. 01...Robert M. Witt, Executive Director, Hawaii Association of Independent Schools "Because the safety record of school buses is outstanding, and because there is no compelling evidence to suggest that seat belts would provide even higher levels of protection in crashes, we concur with the Department of Education and the Department of Transportation that there is not enough reason for a State mandate for seat belts on school buses." 02...National Association of School Nurses..." A greater number of fatalities of school-aged children occur in passenger cars/private vehicles during normal school hours than in passenger school bus transportation. Most crashes (75%) occur within a 25-mile radius of the home." 03...National Coalition for School Bus Safety... Opponents say they are harmful to small children. If this is true then why is there a child restraint law in every state. Seatbelts are on school buses have been endorsed by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American College of Preventative Medicine, Physicians for Automotive Safety, and Center for Auto Safety. 04..Letters from Drivers. 05...Newspaper Article of an accident that occurred in Aliso Viejo, California.Of interest here is response of Robin Leeds who is also the full time employee of "COSTA", which is the Connecticut School Bus Operators Association. 06...National Education Association (N.E.A.) position on school bus seatbelts....Their poll show a 53% to 47%
favoring the use of seat belts on school buses....but there is much more to the story. |
