Why dont school buses have seatbelts

This could result in serious head and neck injuries. Combination lap and shoulder belts would require stiffer seats, which could increase injury to students who are not buckled up. The driver cannot ensure that every child has their seat belt on; some buses can carry up to 70 children. Beyond certain engineering problems, someone would need to ensure the seat belts are used, adjusted properly between uses by smaller children and larger children and repaired when damaged.

In an emergency, seatbelts could hinder evacuation. Making changes to school bus safety regulations can have other consequences. For example, adding seat belts reduces overall bus capacity, which can force school districts to further increase transportation costs to accommodate all students.

If that isn't an option, the result may mean that more kids have to walk to school, which is, statistically, more dangerous than riding the bus. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. If there are seat belts on a school bus, Transport Canada recommends three-point belts — the harness and lap belt combination seen in most cars.

But seats would have to be redesigned to have stiffer seat backs to support the shoulder belts. And, somebody would have to make sure kids are wearing their seat belts — and that the belts are adjusted to fit the child properly. Transport Canada decides what safety equipment is required on vehicles. In the case of seat belts, the provinces decide whether or not you have to wear them. While Transport Canada doesn't require seat belts on any school bus, individual school districts are free to install belts in existing buses or to buy buses already equipped with seat belts, Carroll said.

Since , Transport Canada has required that 10 per cent of seats on new school buses have to have a latch for child seats for smaller children. In the U. It doesn't mandate belts on bigger school buses. The cost of those seat belts also poses a financial problem. Skip to content. Local Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood. Pennsylvania 22 hours ago. Monmouth County Nov