Seat Belts on School Buses: Pros and Cons

In recent months, the sudden wave of school bus accidents in America has sparked a new debate regarding the use of seat belts on school buses: “Should seat belt use be made mandatory? of school bus accidents? “Surprisingly enough, this issue has two opposing sides. While many argue that the use of seat belts should be mandatory for children, regardless of whether they are traveling by car or on a school bus, opponents of this view insist that proper compartment seats, seat frames metal seats and padded crash bars help protect children while eliminating the need for seat belts.

Although most accidents and injuries occur inside the school bus, children who are restrained in their seats are more likely to remain safe in the event of a collision or accident. On the other hand, what if half of the children on the bus wear seat belts and the other half don’t? In the event of a collision, children who are not tethered end up colliding with children who are properly seated. While seated children have to absorb their own body weight, they also end up absorbing the weight of other children, increasing their chances of bodily injury. Concerns have also been expressed in a possible scenario where a bus is about to explode after an accident and more time is required to help children who are safely restrained in their seats to escape safely. Here, a safety mechanism intended to save a life may, in unlikely circumstances, be the reason for the loss of a life.

Finding a suitable answer to the debated question may seem simple, but there are quite a few pros and cons to this topic.

Pros:

• Save lives in high speed crashes
• Prevent children from being pushed
• Reduces death, accident impact and bodily injury.
• Help improve behavior on the bus.
• Children should be educated on the importance of wearing seat belts.

Cons:

• Misuse leads to seat belt related injuries
• Low effectiveness for close side impact collisions
• High installation cost involved
• It can make it difficult to get out in case of emergencies
• Children can use seat belts as weapons

Although it can be argued that they are not really necessary on a school bus, making three-point shoulder seat belts mandatory could do wonders in reducing school bus accidents.