NMW: Understanding the Absence of Seat Belts on School Buses

NMW: School Bus Safety Features

Students have returned to school, and back onboard those bright yellow buses with their rows and rows of high-backed seats. While they cart around your children, school buses frequently lack a safety feature that would result in a ticket if you were caught not wearing one: seat belts. Although some buses might have a few seats equipped with lap belts or the over-the-shoulder option, many school buses do not offer this crucial element of safety.

Compartmentalization Explained

It’s all about how these vehicles are constructed. School buses are, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most regulated vehicles on the road. Among the various safety features built into them are protective seating, high crush standards, and rollover protection features.

• Protective Seating: Strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.
• Rollover Protection: Enhanced structural support during a rollover scenario.

Students sitting in these seats are similar to eggs in a carton, cautions the National Transportation Safety Board. This compartmentalization not only protects children but reduces their risk of ejection during an accident.

Calls for Change

While compartmentalization is effective, the NTSB argues it is not enough to prevent all injuries in the event of a bus crash. In fact, after a tragic incident highlighting these vulnerabilities, the agency has called for states to require lap and shoulder belts on new, large school buses.

1. Investigation determined that several bus passengers were not seated during crashes.
2. Federal regulators indicated that seat belts could have reduced the risk of injury.

Currently, only a few states have laws requiring seat belts on school buses, including Arkansas, California, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. However, local jurisdictions in some of these states have the authority to approve or deny such measures.