School Bus Safety

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Unregistered

Guest
Would you put a 4 year old child on a large school bus without a car seat? DS starts pre-K in the fall and will probably have to ride the school bus home. He is about 41 lbs/41". His main seat is a FPSVD, which will be replaced with a GN when the new baby outgrows the infant bucket seat. I would never allow him to ride in a passenger vehicle without a 5-point harness but I don't think the school will allow him to use a car seat on the bus. I know buses are supposed to be much safer than your family car (due to compartmentalization, etc.) but do you think they're safe enough for young children to ride unrestrained?
 
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scatterbunny

New member
You have the correct understanding: large school buses are a very, very safe form of transportation, but they rely on compartmentalization for protection of children in a crash, and that won't work properly on children smaller than the average 6yo. Your child sounds like an average 4yo, and I would be uncomfortable with a child that size on a full-size bus, no restraints (full-size buses rarely have restraints, but you can check with the bus company, they may have specialized bus restraints that he could use). Around here, all preschoolers have to use a small bus, equipped with lapbelts for installing harnessed seats, and some of those bus seats have fold-down harnesses as well.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I agree with Jenny. My own daughter will be five in October, weighs 43 lbs and there's no way I'd be comfortable with her on a schoolbus without a harness.
 

kater-tot82

New member
I don't want to hijack this thread, but our school buses have lapbelts on them...I know lapbelts are generally considered unsafe in cars, so are they unsafe on school buses as well? (My DD will be 5.5 come the fall and is dying to ride the school bus to Kindergarten, but I am not so sure...) Would it be better for a child to be unrestrained rather than use a lapbelt on a bus?
 

gwenvet

New member
I don't want to hijack this thread, but our school buses have lapbelts on them...I know lapbelts are generally considered unsafe in cars, so are they unsafe on school buses as well? (My DD will be 5.5 come the fall and is dying to ride the school bus to Kindergarten, but I am not so sure...) Would it be better for a child to be unrestrained rather than use a lapbelt on a bus?

That's a GREAT question and I really want to see what the techs say. I'm in the exact same situation.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
If it were my child....

I'd insist on a harness system with the lap belt, or a seat like the Radian that does well without a tether. There's no way I'd let any of my children use just a lap belt on a school bus.
 

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