(Warning:Graphic Photos) Let's talk about School Busses and Seatbelts

[babyherder]

So glad your ds is ok!

 

[murphydog77]

Like NannyMom said, compartmentalization works when kids are seated--it's for forward or backward motion, not up and down motion. So definitely, in this case, or a rollover, a seatbelt would have prevented injury. It looks like a hard lesson was learned by everyone here. I hope the bus driver and everyone at the school district takes note.

I'm sorry your ds was injured. I'm sure it hurts a lot!

 

[LISmama810]

This just happened a few days ago, some kids were killed in a school bus accident. It kind of ties into the discussion. I'm not clear if the deaths were from the collision or the vehicle bursting into flames? Again...balancing the need of belts with evacuation, etc.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/06/13695909-4-dead-including-2-students-after-nebraska-bus-collides-with-tractor-trailer?lite

Things like that are tragic, but the reality is that horrific school-bus crashes usually involve far fewer casualties than the same crash with passenger cars would. School buses are, by and large, very, very safe.

I suspect that lap-shoulder belts probably would provide increased safety, but even without them, properly seated kids are safer on a bus than in a car.

 

[tracee877]

Wow! I am so sorry he got hurt. This is very alarming to me since my two oldest kids are on a bus for 2.5 hours each day, 1.5 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon.

 

[hrice]

The issue I have is that kids mess around on the bus. They often are out of position. So how are our kids safe? I would like to see data on crashes with and without belts and see the safety benefits of both. I think belts are a good idea. But, what do I know?

 

[4boysmom]

The issue I have is that kids mess around on the bus. They often are out of position. So how are our kids safe? I would like to see data on crashes with and without belts and see the safety benefits of both. I think belts are a good idea. But, what do I know?

But then kids also have to wear those, and wear them properly ykwim... No way driver can insure kids are actually buckling.

 

[bree]

The issue I have is that kids mess around on the bus. They often are out of position. So how are our kids safe? I would like to see data on crashes with and without belts and see the safety benefits of both. I think belts are a good idea. But, what do I know?

I'm so sorry that your son was hurt. This is a great article analyzing why seatbelts aren't on all buses: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40820669/ns/us_news-life/#.UE9_OKTcgU8

 

[hrice]

I'm so sorry that your son was hurt. This is a great article analyzing why seatbelts aren't on all buses: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40820669/ns/us_news-life/#.UE9_OKTcgU8

Thank you very much.

 

[monica-m]

FIL worked for our school district when DH was in school. They got a couple of new buses with seat belts. The seat belts lasted less than a week before they had to be removed because the kids were swinging them at each other and kids were being injured by the flying buckles (think lap belts like on an airplane). I think that using this as a teaching example as to why it's so important to stay in position is a great idea, I don't think that seat belts would be the answer though, there is so much potential for misuse.

 

[Kayleen]

I understand the child was standing and "out of position", however if you have ever ridden in the back of a school bus and have hit bumps or speed bumps at any speed greater than 5mph, then you know that you had better be standing or slightly elevated otherwise your lower back will take quite the impact. Freak accident. Hope he recovers quickly.

 

[T4K]

Did his head hit the lip of the window?

ETA: I'm so so sorry. You seem so level headed. I hope your son recovers quickly!

 

[hrice]

Did his head hit the lip of the window?

ETA: I'm so so sorry. You seem so level headed. I hope your son recovers quickly!

I wish I knew. He says he hit the ceiling but really has no idea. He said he didn't look up after. He was in shock at what just happened.

 

[macmomma]

Oh wow
School buses scare me and I am glad my kids don't ride a bus!
Say- did they call 911 or continuesd to the school?

 

[murphydog77]

FIL worked for our school district when DH was in school. They got a couple of new buses with seat belts. The seat belts lasted less than a week before they had to be removed because the kids were swinging them at each other and kids were being injured by the flying buckles (think lap belts like on an airplane). I think that using this as a teaching example as to why it's so important to stay in position is a great idea, I don't think that seat belts would be the answer though, there is so much potential for misuse.

My dh drove a school bus while we were in college and he laughs whenever seatbelts on buses are brought up for this very reason: he says kids will use them as weapons. Even having a monitor on a bus wouldn't prevent kids from swinging a belt around; it'd still be 2 adults against, what, 60 kids? I'm not sure what the best solution is .

 

[aeormsby]

I can totally understand how that happened. The back seats of school buses bounce a lot. I remember sitting in the back seat as a kid, it was always the most fun when we were hitting bumps and we'd bounce to make the most of it too. I'm pretty sure there were times when kids hit their heads when we were kids, luckily no one ever got hurt like that!

I don't have an answer for what the best way to keep kids safe on the bus (in the real world at least). One thing that would eliminate the bounce effect would be to make the buses shorter so that there is less overhang behind the back wheels.

 

[hrice]

I'm not sure what the best solution is .

Lap belts and straight jackets. :evil grin:

 

[Baylor]

I'm so sorry your son was hurt!! I can not see the pictures but I can only imagine from the comments. Speedy healing for him!

How scary.

auto correct hates me

 

[mom of six]

I remember as a child in elementary school we would always try to get that very back seat because there was a spot just as the bus pulled around to the front of the school where there was a transition from gravel to asphalt and if the driver didn't slow down for that bump our bottoms would rise off the seat. We thought it was hilarious. It only worked in the back seats, behind the rear set of wheels. Sometimes our driver would play along and not slow down at all. We always yelled and hollered hoping the driver would do it. I imagine that Dustin experienced physics in a way he never intended. I bet his little hop was perfectly timed with the rebound of the back end of the bus and it launched him into the ceiling. From reading your first post it seems like there were a series of bumps the bus went over. I would suspect that the driver was playing along with the boys and was intentionally going too fast.

What was the drivers response once Dustin was injured? Were the authorities called or did he just show up at home looking like that?

 

[hrice]

What was the drivers response once Dustin was injured? Were the authorities called or did he just show up at home looking like that?

The driver felt awful and I think was in shock himself. He told us Dustin was seated and not playing around. He called him "one of the good kids." He had no idea what they were doing. He notified his supervisor and I called both the school and bus transportation department. That reminds me...I haven't got a return call from the transportation supervisor.

 

[keri1292]

That injury wouldn't make me question bus safety. I can't imagine the collision that would cause you to move upward like that, minus a rollover obviously). You'd have to be hit from under the bus.

Our busses have lapbelts though the kids only wear them on field trips.

We used to do the hop thing and we would get some serious airtime. I still can't see hitting the ceiling. I googled interior bus to see some photos and from the examples I didn't see anything too low in the back row. Poor kid. He either got some crazy good (or bad) timing of that jump or hit something else. And I would personally appreciate the bus driver acknowledging that he took the speed bump too fast. It likely wouldn't have happened if he was going slower, but it also wouldn't have happened if your son hadn't jumped. Me thinks both parties learned a valuable lesson.