Bus Experts - what do you think of this website?

mommycat · Feb 28, 2010

If this has been discussed before, I apologise. I did try to look.

I stumbled on this website:
http://www.ncsbs.org/

One of their mission objectives is to provide seatbelts on buses, all well and good, but they mention adding lap belts as a goal. I have seen mentioned here that lap belts are worse than no restraint, though I have yet to dig down as to why that is - I assume improper placement and head excursion/impact are the main issues.

Can any of you give me some info on why the info on the website might be correct, incorrect or just incomplete? I wish I had time to keep digging myself, but since many of you have had bus training or might have researched this already, I am hoping you can answer this for me and save me some time duplicating your efforts!

Thanks.

Evolily · Feb 28, 2010

Lap belts=child's head flying forward and hitting the seat, concentrating impact on the head.
No belts=child's body flying forward and hitting the seat, spreading the impact over the body.
3 point belts=child's body responding like it would in a car crash

I like how under their fact summary they have no facts about bus safety. Probably because school buses are very, very, very safe and virtually all research just reaffirms that fact. I kind of think we need to target the areas where children are less safe before discussing an area where they are arguably most protected.

(Hope it's OK that I responded as a non bus expert

)

mommycat · Mar 1, 2010

Yep, that's fine.

They do have a bunch of pages reporting statistics by year and specific incidents where kids were killed/injured - I didn't really have time to browse too in-depth. A main point of one of the articles under the "testimonies" page, the only one I looked at, is that the bus seats as designed are not designed to the recommendations of some inital engineering study and that no one tests or discusses or plans for (and generally avoid like the plague discussion of) side impact or rollover, where compartmentalization would not work. That was the "23 Years of Institutional Disinformation".

Pixels · Mar 1, 2010

Whether no seatbelt or lap-only belt is safer depends on several factors, including crash type and occupant size.

A child who would be badly out of position (perhaps standing) without a belt and who would be more or less in position with a belt is safer in the belt.

A high school/adult sized rider whose head is taller than the seat back is safer in the belt.

A smaller child who would be in proper position either way is safer in no belt in a frontal or rear impact due to increased neck injury. With a lap belt, the lower body is restrained as the head and upper torso move forward. The head impacts the seat first and is thrown back while the upper torso is still moving forward.

In a rollover, everyone is safer in a lap belt than no belt.

Bus Experts - what do you think of this website?

mommycat

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Evolily

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mommycat

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Pixels

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