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Get the facts straight: Seat-belt laws protect us Printed from: School Bus Fleet Magazine Forums Topic: Topic author: JK
Subject: Get the facts straight: Seat-belt laws protect us ... in reference to comments made about school buses, school buses use a technique called compartmentalization [similar to passenger airline compartmentalization] to help protect children in the event of a crash. School bus crash data has shown that seat belts would do little to reduce fatalities on school buses, which average about 11 a year. In 1995, 12 children were killed in school bus accidents, compared to 8,168 killed in crashes involving all other motor vehicles. Letter to Editor at:
Replies:
Reply author: 98TomFord Anyway you look at, the peoples opinion is gona all run toward the same direction that seat belts are not safe on buses! When I went to headstart, my bus had seat belts, and I got stuck quite a few times, and so did the other kids on that bus. Seat belts are not a life saving device when it comes to school buses, it's benchs with high backs, and lost of padding to support them on the back side.
Reply author: JK
quote: Where did you get this concept? Bus safety experts have often quoted the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's (NHTSA) research report on school bus crash protection as stating seat belts installed on school buses would not save lives and might do more harm than good. This is not an accurate analysis of the overall report. "Seat Belts on School Buses, A Review of Issues and Research," adapted from a paper prepared for the November 2002 National Association for Pupil Transportation’s (NAPT) Nov. 2002 Annual Conference and trade show in Greensboro, N.C., stated, "It should be noted that the results and recommendations of this report have at times been either misinterpreted or misstated. This study did not conclude that seat belts do more harm than good and therefore should not be installed on buses. On the contrary, the committee concluded that belts would do more good than harm, but the cost-benefit analysis precluded making a recommendation for universal installation." There exists a common allegation that suggests a danger that may not even exist. It's interesting to note some industry experts often refer to the 1985 "Transport Canada Study" or "Canadian Study," when discouraging the installation of seat belts on school buses. The study, according to some industry experts, is supposed to prove seat belts could cause "more injuries." However, in that study, which included the crash of the sixty-six passenger bus, the only dummy experiencing life threatening forces on the 66 passenger bus happened to the unbelted dummy #1. The dummies wearing seat belts on the large bus were protected adequately from injury and death. Here's another perspective from the University of Michigan: "We do not believe that the Canadian School Bus Safety Study can be used to draw the conclusion that the use of belts on recent-model large school buses poses a potential danger to the occupants. No case can be made from the results of this test that belted children will have an increased likelihood of severe head and neck injuries in frontal crashes." Crash experts agree that the current school bus seat technology, called compartmentalization, implemented prior to 1977, does help protect children in a frontal crash with a padded high-back seat that absorbs energy when the child is properly positioned in the seat. But according to many crash experts, compartmentalization offers even perfectly positioned children little protection in side impact and rollover crashes. Important to note is the NHTSA reports that in the last 10 years, 58 percent of school bus occupant fatalities have occurred in side impact and rollover crashes and only 39 percent of the school bus crashes are frontal impacts. "70% of all deaths and 64% of the serious injuries happen in side-impact crashes and rollovers." --New Jersey Institute of Technology, 1989 I'm not advocating for or against seat belts. However, I am against retrofitting older school buses, cost is outrageous and the liability increases if not properly installed. But if parents want factory installed seat belts on new buses, it's fine with me. No problem --- bring em' on and let the new games begin. (jk) School Bus Fleet Magazine Forums : https://www.schoolbusfleet.com/forum/ © 2022 School Bus Fleet Magazine |