School Bus Safety

SJMom · Feb 11, 2010

What do all of you do if your child needs to travel on a school bus, where there are no restraints?

ketchupqueen · Feb 11, 2010

How old is the child in question? How much does s/he weigh? Is there a behavior problem that makes this child unable to sit properly on the seat?

Most kids once they are 5-6 years old (if they are average sized or larger) are fine on a school bus, and school buses are much safer to ride in than cars, statistically speaking, even without restraints.

MomToEliEm · Feb 11, 2010

I send my two kids on the school bus each day (5 and 7 years old) and don't have any issues with there being no seatbelts on the bus. We have gone over the bus rules and there is a monitor on the bus to keep the kids in line.

karlatta · Feb 11, 2010

My children aren't old enough for buses, but I don't have a problem with them or the idea of my children riding in them when they are older. Statistically, school buses are so much safer than regular passenger vehicles. And school buses are designed differently than regular vehicles. They rely on compartmentalization to protect the riders inside. The seats, seatbacks, floors, etc. are all designed so that the child will stay within the confines of the seat and injuries are reduced that way.

I would only be concerned about a child who wasn't developmentally ready to sit on a seat and would be trying to stand, walk down the aisle, etc. But generally teachers and bus drivers are pretty good about dealing with that sort of thing.

Evolily · Feb 11, 2010

School buses are 800% safer than cars. Because of the size of a bus, it is much more likely to "win" in an accident. The training of the bus driver and the fact that they drive fixed routes further improves safety. Compartmentalization, the way the bus is designed to absorb and spread crash forces, is actually very safe for kids over around 5 years old in most types of accidents. Lap only belts actually interfere with compartmentalization, and decrease safety.

For kids under 5, you want them in a harness if at all possible because compartmentalization doesn't work as well and they often lack the impulse control to stay seated. The two kids I take care of ride in lap only belts (they are 3 & 5 years old) on their school bus. Not my choice, I would rather them be harnessed, but they aren't my kids. Knowing how safe buses are, I believe they are at least as safe on the bus as they are properly restrained in the decade old compact car in the driveway. Most likely, they are more safe on the bus.

Jeanum · Feb 11, 2010

This earlier thread about school bus safety at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=75544 has crash stats comparing school bus trips to transporting kids in personal passenger vehicles to and from school. Of particularly significant note: 800 child deaths per year in personal vehicles going to and from school alone, not counting school-related activites, vs. 7 child deaths per year in school buses with approx. 23.5 million school children riding 440,000 school buses to and from school and to school-related activities daily in the U.S. The same thread also has links to school bus crash videos illustrating school bus crash safety and compartmentalization.

SJMom · Feb 11, 2010

Well thanks everyone! I had no idea buses were that safe. I have two 6 year olds who are well behaved in the car, so I will just give them reminders of what's expected when they sit on the bus for a field trip and I will not fret about their safety.

(Thanks for the link to the old thread. I had tried the search feature, but I didn't get any hits.)

School Bus Safety

SJMom

New member

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob

MomToEliEm

Moderator

karlatta

New member

Evolily

New member

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

SJMom

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics