An average of 10 children are killed per year in school bus accidents.
Compare this to the over 23 million children who are transferred to and from
school and school-related activities, and you have a very small percentage of school bus fatalities. In
1989, the National Academy of Science concluded that the overall benefits of
installing seat belts,
with an estimated cost of about $470 million to install them in the
approximately 384,000 school
buses in America, would be insufficient for mandating belt restraints.
The NAS also stated that funds of this magnitude would be better spent on
safety programs that would be beneficial in preventing injuries and fatalities.
For example, consider that almost three times as many children are killed
entering and exiting school
buses, at bus stops, and walking to school.
Practicalities
Certain questions arise when visualizing the possibility of seat belts in school buses: How much time will be consumed while bus
drivers make sure all children are buckled before moving? Will unruly children
use the seat belts
as weapons? If a bus were to be involved in a wreck, who would be responsible
for making sure all passengers were unbuckled? What if the driver were hurt and
unable to assist children in vacating the bus? Would an additional employee be
needed, and what would the cost factor be for hiring another employee for each
bus?
All of these questions need to be addressed in determining
whether installation of seat
belts on school buses is practical.