When students board the bus to school they find a seat and sit down, but there is one step that appears to be missing - doing up their seat belt.

There have been many questions raised as to why school buses and public transportation does not supply seat belts, and the answer is simply safety.

School buses use a wide range of safety features that are designed to keep passengers safe while traveling. There are specialized brake systems, lighting, emergency exits, escape hatches in the roof, and high padded seat backs that cushion the impact of a crash.

With the wide range in age of children using the bus, a shoulder and lap belt could present more of a risk than not wearing one at all.

"With a shoulder belt say with a smaller person, maybe it wrapped around their neck or was along the side of their face, or maybe that lap belt didn't go across their hips it was closer up to their stomach; in an impact a neck could be snapped, internal organs could be severed, it could become actually your worst nightmare." said Kathy Fenton, Owner/Operator of Fenton Bus Lines.

If seat belts were implemented, the bus driver would not be able to ensure that every child had their seat belt on, especially in situations where there are upwards of 70 children on board.

The seat design on school buses is used to protect passengers through “compartmentalization,” a design that includes:

  • Seats with high backs
  • Seats filled with energy-absorbing material
  • Seats placed close together to form compartments
  • Strong seat anchorages

Research has shown that school buses are one of the safest methods of transportation, being 16 times safer than traveling in a family vehicle.