School buses carry over 24 million students each year and travel over four billion miles transporting kids to and from school buildings across the United States. No parent likes to think they could be putting their child in danger, but school bus accidents present a real risk to children. School buses are designed differently than regular cars or trucks and there are inherent risks associated with transporting large groups of people at one time.
Surprisingly, federal law does not require seat belts on most school buses. The theory behind school bus design is that compartmentalization created by the high seat backs restrains children and prevents personal injury in the event of a crash. Unfortunately, the benefits of tight spacing and seat padding work best in rear-end or head-on collisions. If the bus happens to flip over, children are left vulnerable. Because of this, support for mandatory seat belts in school buses continues to grow. However, one reason many experts believe there is no law requiring seat belts in school buses is simple economics. Seat belts would limit the amount of students that could be transported in a bus, requiring schools to spend more money to get everyone where they need to be in a timely manner.
Aside from a lack of seat belts, another risk to children is driver distraction. School buses are complicated vehicles to operate, but a bus full of children is often a very loud and hectic environment. Schools typically have rules about student behavior on buses, but enforcement of these safety precautions varies. If there is no secondary adult aboard the bus, it is hard for the driver to discipline a misbehaving student while still paying attention to the road ahead of him. Even if the majority of the passengers are well-behaved, the actions of one reckless child can create a situation that is dangerous for everyone aboard the bus.
If your child must ride a school bus on a regular basis, talk to the bus driver and school administrators about your safety concerns. In the absence of stricter safety guidelines for school buses, concerned parents are a child’s best defense against personal injury.
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