I'm not going to belabor the point of this argument. I dunno, FT...How are you going to get your kids to eat their vegetables each night? Did you ever actually ride a school bus when you were in elementary school?
"Some people advocate that large buses—those weighing more than 10,000 pounds—have seat belts to keep children safe. Many experts point out, however, that the seats in large buses are now constructed in a way that seat belts are not needed. The idea is called "compartmentalization." Seat "compartments" are designed to absorb the force in a crash, protecting the children, School Transportation News says. New bus seats are higher, wider and thicker, and all metal surfaces are covered with padding—all of which absorb energy in a crash. The seat structure allows it to bend forward when a child is thrown against it. Seats are also positioned no more than two feet apart, which limits the distance a child moves during a crash.
Compartmentalization provides protection in a head-on or rear-end collision, but some experts argue that children can still be tossed side to side during an accident, causing injuries and even death, School Transportation News says. When a bus rolls over, for instance, the most common injuries are usually to the head, neck and shoulders. One solution suggested would put extra padding along the sides of the bus interior—over the windows and on the paneling between windows.
There are several drawbacks to seat belts on large buses. They are effective only if they are used, School Transportation News says. On a bus that transports many children, it is difficult to enforce the use of seat belts. Even when in use, they require a lot of maintenance—to adjust them from child to child, to keep them in good working order and to keep them clean. Also, children younger than 8 years old need a chest harness instead of a lap belt..." <----I'm not providing a link to this, since it is so obvious a caveman can think it up themselves.
If you, as a parent, are so worried that the infinitesimal chance that your child is going to die in a school bus crash because they do not have seat belts, then you have three choices...
A.) Prevent your child from getting on a school bus, and make them walk to school like in the olden days.
B.) Drive them to/from school everyday in your own vehicle, and assure they wear their a seat-belt.
C.) Home-school them, so they are in no danger at all from the outside world.
