School Bus Safety???

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mama2J

Member
Can someone PLEASE reassure me as to whether school buses are really safe??

I just got back from our first school trip. When I had asked ahead of time, I was told the kids would be in built in harnesses. Apparently they meant lap belts instead, because that is what I found in the seats, and I felt it was too late to turn back at that point. It was a regular school bus, and I was also told that they don't use those for preschoolers. Of course I made sure all the kids within my range were properly buckled and tightened. My stomach was in knots the whole way there, and we all had fun on the trip, but now I have a headache thinking about this. I feel like a terrible mom for letting my 3-year-old ride on a school bus with only a lap belt. I am however, so thankful that I went on this trip, and I will be going on all of them if at all possible. Maybe I should have taken him in my own car.
 
ADS

mommyto4kiddos

Senior Community Member
They are the safest mode of ground transportation. Safer than you in your car with your child in the best carseat. Don't feel bad. Its not the seatbelts in busses that keep them safe. Its called compartmentalization. Its in the manual somewhere.
 

Mama2J

Member
Does the compartmentalization still work with small kids? My son is 35 pounds. I think that's what I'm most concerned about.

Oh and while on the trip I saw twin babies in loose-strap infant seat carriers. Why oh why, do I look at babies in infant seats? :eek:
 

nisi

Senior Community Member
Does the compartmentalization still work with small kids?

Compartmentalization does not work as well with smaller kids. NHTSA recommends that preschoolers use a car seat on a school bus. Details here:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/buses/Guide1999/prekfinal.htm

This might be of interest, too.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/buses/busseatbelt/index.html
A lot of it is sort of remedial for people already CPS-saavy but you might find something useful.


FWIW, I know exactly how you feel. I've had the same knots in my stomach going on trips with my kids' daycare. And of course, my attempts to address the issue... I might as well have been talking to a wall. No one cared, not even other parents I talked to :( Eventually, I had to accept that I can only control how they transport my child, not everyone else's. I required dd1 (now 6.5yo) to ride in a car seat on the bus field trips until she was 40lbs AND I was confident she'd sit properly the whole time. I also made sure I went on every trip because I don't trust that her seat will be installed and used correctly. In fact, dd2 (2.5yo) is going to miss a field trip tomorrow because I can't take off work and I'm not comfortable leaving the car seat use up to the daycare staff.
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
Compartmentalization does not work as well with smaller kids. NHTSA recommends that preschoolers use a car seat on a school bus. Details here:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/buses/Guide1999/prekfinal.htm

Yep, that's what I was told when I went on a field trip with my daughter's preschool class. I was really surprised - the bus drivers were ALL OVER sorting out the kids based on their weight & age (our state has horrible child safety laws), AND we were asked ahead of time about providing a carseat for the child to use. We had to bring 3 buses, even though we could have fit easily in 2, because they didn't have enough harnesses installed in each bus. I brought my daughter's carseat, which made things easier because then she wasn't taking up one of the harnesses. I spent a lot of time talking to the bus driver about why they were requiring harnesses for some kids, lap belts for others, and none at all for the adults or older kids.
 

Mama2J

Member
Nisi, wow 2 1/2 is really young for them to be putting kids on buses. Many kids are still in diapers, and some are still RF at that age. No wonder you brought your carseat!

Debbie, that is great the bus drivers and school were interested in properly restraining the kids according to their age and size.

I had specifically asked the school about this and told them that he rides in a carseat and that I didn't feel comfortable with him not being restrained or just in a seatbelt. I am upset that they said the kids would be in harnesses and then at the last minute show up with a regular school bus.

I'm glad I don't have to worry about this again until October though. They only do 2-3 trips a year.
 

apr67

New member
Busses are really only safe because they are big, yellow, and sit kinda high.

Ask the parents of the highschool student who was ejected from a bus during a roll over and died. Happened here two years ago I think.
 

southpawboston

New member
Busses are really only safe because they are big, yellow, and sit kinda high.

Ask the parents of the highschool student who was ejected from a bus during a roll over and died. Happened here two years ago I think.

and the drivers are trained drivers with (hopefully) clean records who follow the rules of the road.

yes, a bus can still be involved in an accident resulting in death, but statistically it IS still the safest form of motor vehicle transportation. no vehicle is ever completely immune from fatal events.
 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
apr67, it is OK to disagree with other posters. It is not OK to be rude to them. If you cannot disagree politely, it's best not to say anything at all. Posters with a pattern of inappropriate posts can even be banned from the site. The occasional slip up may happen, but it's best to "self edit" before hitting the "post" button, not after.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Many advocates point out that the injury and fatality statistics on full size school busses show they are the safest form of ground transportation. On average, this is undoubtedly true. I have no concerns at all putting my kids on the bus each day.

Though passenger vehicle statistics make them much more dangerous on average, consider that these statistics included improperly restrained passengers, drivers under the influence, teen drivers and other high risk segments that result in the majority of highway fatalities.

If you remove those factors and focus on responsible parents driving their properly restrained children to and from school, typically in minivans, larger sedans and other relatively safe models, I think the result would be numbers on the order of full size school bus safety. I've never seen such a study done, but I would not be surprised at all if this turns out to be the case.
 

singingpond

New member
Not even seatbelts (let alone harnesses) on school buses here, from what I've seen. When DS#1 was in his first year of preschool at age 4, we took a few field trips, and that particular preschool borrowed town school buses, so I got a look. Not sure, but I think the backs of the seats in front of me looked a bit more padded than I remember from my childhood, but otherwise it all struck me as very familiar from years ago. I guess I don't worry too much, partly because, statistically, buses are pretty safe, and there's not a lot I can do about it anyway, I think. I suppose I could start a local crusade, but I don't feel that strongly about it, and we just turned down our budget 5 times in a row here before finally passing... so no extra funds in the town budget anyway.

Katrin
 
Last edited:

Mama2J

Member
Thanks for all responses! I have a hard time putting his life in other people's hands. I can't even imagine if I heard he was in an accident and I wasn't with him. I'm sure I'll be having heart attacks when he goes to kindergarten and has to ride a bus every day without me.
 

apr67

New member
apr67, it is OK to disagree with other posters. It is not OK to be rude to them. If you cannot disagree politely, it's best not to say anything at all. Posters with a pattern of inappropriate posts can even be banned from the site. The occasional slip up may happen, but it's best to "self edit" before hitting the "post" button, not after.

Whatever.
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Do you really belive it is better to have a child flung forward into the seat infront of them regardless of how 'soft' the landing is?

Its all about money.

I just have to belive their is a better way.

http://www.stnonline.com/stn/occupantrestraint/seatbeltfaqs/index.htm#dont

There is always a better way if funding is unlimited. I wish I happened to be in such a school district. The buses and upgrade restraint systems do exist, but retrofitting or replacing a fleet is extremely expensive.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
Did you not notice that the person you're being so immature towards (after being POLITELY asked to censor your rudeness) is a Moderator :confused: Must want to be banned...?
 

Admin

Admin - Webmaster
Did you not notice that the person you're being so immature towards (after being POLITELY asked to censor your rudeness) is a Moderator :confused: Must want to be banned...?

Lol we haven't gotten to the point of issuing bans for rude behavior but it is a thought! I missed the pre-edited post, but Ulrike's comment is a very good guideline for this forum.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,656
Messages
2,196,898
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top