School buses are actually designed for use without seat belts - that’s why the seats are (a) close together, (b) taller than typical car seats, and (c) heavily padded. They are designed so that, in the event of an accident, the child will hit the padded seats around him/her.
The idea is that this way is safer than seat belts because (a) many school-aged children on a bus would not use the seat belt properly anyway, and (b) in the event of a serious accident (especially involving fire) the time spent cutting kids out of seat belts could lead to further (and more serious) injuries.
You're rationalizing. Just because school bus seats are taller, padded and closer together doesn't doesn't mean that they wouldn't be safer with seat belts. I believe on average about 10 kids die each year on school buses and thousands are injured.
The idea is that this way is safer than seat belts because (a) many school-aged children on a bus would not use the seat belt properly anyway, and
The ones who do use seat belts would be safer.
(b) in the event of a serious accident (especially involving fire) the time spent cutting kids out of seat belts could lead to further (and more serious) injuries.
Well if that's true(and I don't think that it is)then the same argument could be made for kids in cars and passengers in police vans.
Police van driver to judge: You're honor, I didn't buckle in the passengers because...in the event of a serious accident (especially involving fire) the time spent cutting kids out of seat belts could lead to further (and more serious) injuries.
So why do they have that steel bar on top? That doesn't look like something I'd want to hit my head on. They use the same school buses for first graders as they do for high school seniors. Most males are close to their adult size when they are senior in high school. That's a huge size disparity to account for for safety.
It really depends on what a school bus hits that determines how much protection passengers would need. If the bus hits a passenger car, the difference in mass and hence momentum would make the effect on the bus passengers less violent. If they hit another bus or a loaded 18-wheeler, the effects on the passengers would be much different. Also, seat belts protect in case rollover. An ordinary school bus give no protection in case of rollover.
Isn't there a case to be made that having children buckle up in school buses teaches them to buckle up when they ride in other vehicles?
” - - - in the event of a serious accident (especially involving fire) the time spent cutting kids out of seat belts could lead to further (and more serious) injuries.”
Definitely.
I rolled a pickup and it came to rest on the roof with engine running. I had to really struggle against the my weight on the seat belt buckle to get it to release. A small child could not figure out how to unlatch a binding buckle.