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Show Debate continues on need for seat belts in school buses Dy DENNIS HINKAMP consumer information writer f Utah State University Although all new automobiles require seat belts as standard equipment and all 50 states have child-restraint laws, one major form of ground transportation remains uncovered school buses. . A reflex reaction of concern might send you off immediately on a crusade to have seat belts installed in all school buses. After all, we encourage people to use seat belts in all other situations. Taking this into account, you might be surprised that only 18 school districts throughout the county require their buses to be equipped with lap belts. Are these school districts overly cautious or is the rest of the country negligent? , Like many public safety issues, this one is not easy to reduce to right and wrong. There is conflicting information about the need for seat belts in school buses. Studies crucial to the argument show that wearing lap belts during a head-on bus crash may actually cause more severe injuries to young riders than if they were in the same crash without seat belts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in a head-on crash the belts may ill actually cause children to whiplash into the seat in front of them, causing severe head injuries. In the same crash, the unbelted riders' weight would be more evenly distributed across the back of the seat in front of them. About 55 percent of all school bus accidents are head-on collisions. Studies indicate seat belts would reduce injuries in side crashes and rollovers. In light of these statistics, there are good reasons not to install seat v belts in school buses. One New York school district that does not require seat belts does so because part of the function of the belts is to educate the children. Having them wear seat belts on the school bus should increase their use of seat belts in the family car as well. Overall, once children are inside a school bus they are quite safe. Since 1977 an average of only 12 school bus occupants per year have died in crashes. During that same period, an average of 66 children were killed each year as they entered and exited school buses. Seat belts are still vitally important in automobiles, but their value in school buses is debatable. Our time and money may be better spent improving the quality of bus drivers and improving the safety of the areas where children enter and exit their buses. |