Over the past few months, the sudden spate of school bus accidents across America has given rise to a new debate with regard to the use of seat belts on school buses - "Should wearing seat-belts be made mandatory and will they help in bringing down the number of school bus related accidents?" Surprising as it may sound, there are two opposing sides to this topic. While many assert that the use of seat belts should be made compulsory for children irrespective of whether they are travelling by car or in a school bus, opponents of this view insist that proper compartment seats, metal seat frames and padded crash barriers help protect children while removing the need for seat belts.
Although most accidents and injuries occur inside the school bus itself, children who are strapped in their seats are more likely to remain safe in case there is a collision or an accident. On the other hand, what happens if half the children on the bus are wearing their seat belts and the other half are not? In case of a collision, the children who are not strapped in end up being slammed into the children who are properly seated. While the children who are seated have to absorb their own body weight, they also end up absorbing the weight of the other kids increasing their chances of sustaining body injuries. Concern has also been raised in a possible scenario where a bus is about to explode after an accident and extra time is required to help children who are securely strapped in their seats to escape safely. Here, a safety mechanism that is meant to save a life may in far-fetched circumstances be the reason for a life lost.
Finding an appropriate answer to the debated question may seem simple, but there are quite a few pros and cons to this topic.
Pros:
- Saves lives in high speed crashes
- Prevents children from being jostled around
- Reduces death, accident impact and body injuries
- Helps improve behavior on the bus
- Children need to be educated about the importance of wearing seat belts
Cons:
- Incorrect use leads to seat belt related injuries
- Low effectiveness for near side impact collisions
- High installation cost involved
- May make exiting in case of emergencies difficult
- Seat belts may be used as weapons by kids
Although it may be argued that they aren't really necessary in a school bus, making three-point shoulder seat belts mandatory could work wonders in bringing down school bus accidents.
S. George writes to help people find out more about school buses and bus details. She does work for different companies including a company that helps people looking for a school bus for sale as well as those looking for used school buses around the nation.
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