If you’re like a lot of parents, you may question the safety of school buses, especially since most standard school buses do not come equipped with seat belts. You may even be thinking to yourself, “My child us safer if I drive them to school,” but is this correct? The reality may surprise you.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “The school bus is the safest vehicle on the road—your child is much safer taking a bus to and from school than traveling by car. Although four to six school-age children die each year on school transportation vehicles, that’s less than one percent of all traffic fatalities nationwide. NHTSA believes school buses should be as safe as possible. That’s why our safety standards for school buses are above and beyond those for regular buses.”
The NHTSA goes on to say that children are 70 times more likely to arrive at school safely when they ride a school bus rather than traveling in a car. Why is this? Because of all vehicles on the road, school buses are the MOST regulated. They are specifically designed to be safer than standard passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs when it comes to preventing crashes and injuries.
What About the Lack of Seat Belts?
It seems counterintuitive to say that school buses are safer than cars when most of them are not equipped with seat belts, however, they’re still safer than cars for our children. According to the NHTSA, school buses are designed differently than motor vehicles, and that includes their safety restraint system, which happens to be very effective.
“Large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger cars and light trucks do. Because of these differences, bus passengers experience much less crash force than those in passenger cars, light trucks, and vans, according to the NHTSA. So there you have it; school busses are safe for our kids, safer than our own vehicles!
If you’re interested in learning about Texas’ seat belt laws from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), click here. If you or a member of your family has been injured in a car or bus accident, contact The Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC to file a claim.