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ARTICLES: Jennifer McGeehan, Joseph L. Annest, Madhavi Vajani, Marilyn J. Bull, Phyllis E. Agran, and Gary A. Smith School Bus–Related Injuries Among Children and Teenagers in the United States, 2001-2003 Pediatrics 2006; 118: 1978-1984 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

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eLetters published:

Why school buses don't have seat belts!!

Ed J Winslow   (10 November 2006)

Maybe just drive slower?

Thomas M Brown   (12 November 2006)

CHILDREN NEED TO BE TOP PRIORITY

Sheila Levy, Stephanie Fulton, Thomas L. Wilding, and Frances Groen, and caring parent of all kids S.LEVY   (22 November 2006)

Why school buses don't have seat belts!! 10 November 2006
Ed J Winslow, School Bus driver Troy school dist #1, Troy, Mt. Send letter to journal: Re: Why school buses don't have seat belts!! ewinslow{at}frontiernet.net Ed J Winslow	Each day, about 440,000 public school buses transport 23.5 million children to and from school and school-related activities. These buses travel 4.3 billion miles each year. The debate over whether school buses should be equipped with seat belts goes back to at least 1977, when NHTSA tightened school bus safety standards. At that time, following extensive research and analysis, NHTSA instituted "compartmentalization" as the primary means of occupant protection in large school buses: strong, well-padded, well-anchored, high -backed, evenly spaced seats. Think of it like a carton of eggs... each egg is in its own compartment. The record is impressive: American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars. The fatality rate for school buses is only 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars.This impressive safety record is a result of the Department of Transportation's requirements for compartmentalization on school buses. Moreover, the protective abilities of today's school buses have been reaffirmed by two years of research.Yet, no matter how safe our children are on school buses, it is vitally important to constantly reassess existing safety measures. Congress requested that DOT investigate the safety value of installing safety belts on our nation's school buses. An analysis of test data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has concluded that lap belts appear to have little, if any, benefit in reducing serious-to-fatal injuries in severe frontal crashes. On the contrary, lap belts could increase the incidence of serious neck injuries and possibly abdominal injury among young passengers in severe frontal crashes. Any increased risks associated with the use of lap belts in small school buses are more than offset by preventing ejections. The use of the combination lap/shoulder belts could provide some benefit, unless misused. Lap/shoulder belts can be misused and NHTSA's testing showed that serious neck injury and perhaps abdominal injury could result when lap/shoulder belts are misused. Other considerations, such as increased capital costs, reduced seating capacities, and other unintended consequences (like vandalism) associated with lap/shoulder belts could result in more children seeking alternative means of traveling to and from school. Given that school buses are the safest way to and from school, even the smallest reduction in the number of bus riders could result in more children being killed or injured when using alternative forms of transportation. Currently their are 5 states that require seat belts to be installed on school buses, but not a single state requires the passengers to wear them. Over the past 11 years, school buses have annually averaged about 26,000 crashes resulting in 10 deaths - 25 percent were drivers; 75 percent were passengers. A pretty fantastic record if you ask me. We will continue to seek to make the buses safer, but for now it looks like "compartmentalization" is the answer. Conflict of Interest: None declared
Maybe just drive slower? 12 November 2006
Thomas M Brown, Electrical Engineer & Parent None Send letter to journal: Re: Maybe just drive slower? redlamppost{at}yahoo.com Thomas M Brown	Although I can not read the entire study. I am puzzled over the conclusion reached especially after reading the comment posed by Ed J Winslow. Less then half of the injuries were caused by crashes. 25% occured while getting on and off the bus (How would seat belts help these children?). The abstract does not explain what the injuries were. In general any parent will want their child checked out in a hospital if the child was in a bus accident. So is a child who goes to the hospital to be checked out and has a minor scatch count as an injuried child? It would seem to me that most injuries could be lessened simply by having the buses drive slower. It would be cheaper too! Conflict of Interest: None declared
CHILDREN NEED TO BE TOP PRIORITY 22 November 2006
Sheila Levy, mother A WORRIED PARENT FOR CHILDRENS SAFETY, Stephanie Fulton, Thomas L. Wilding, and Frances Groen, and caring parent of all kids S.LEVY Send letter to journal: Re: CHILDREN NEED TO BE TOP PRIORITY littlekitty6{at}verizon.net Sheila Levy, et al.	Re: Should seat belts be installed in all school buses...... Lets see I am a very proud mother of one very bright twelve year old daughter. Also I am a former school bus driver well that is going back to over 20 years ago.... I am appalled at how fast the bus drivers drive and yes their should be definate funds for a MONITOR AND I MEAN AN ADULT NOT A STUDENT.. on ALL BUSSES...............IT SHOULD BE MANDATORY ACROSS THE UNITED STATES... You see if a student would monitor and then tell on someone they would be the next target... That is why it must be an adult. You see in haveing a child that is 12 years old I know alot of the kids and what goes on and what the bus drivers choose to ignore......... and how MANY KIDS GET BULLIED ON THE BUSSES..... AND YES I WAS TOLD ITS TOO EXSPENSIVE TO ADD SEAT BELTS TO THE LOCAL BUSES........AND YOU KNOW WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT THAT............ THESE CHILDREN ALL CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE AND NOW HOW ON EARTH AND WHY WOULD WE NOT SPEND THE MONEY TO PROTECT THEM. AND LET ME JUST PLEASE SAY ONE MORE THING,,,,,,,IF IN FACT MY DAUGHTER DID RIDE THE BUS WHICH HAS NOT BEEN THE CASE VERY OFTEN IN 10 YEARS...........AND THEIR WAS AN ACCIDENT AND SHE BEING A VERY HEALTY YET PETITE CHILD.....EVER SLAMMED THE SEAT IN FRONT OF HER OR WENT UP OVER IT INTO THE FRONT OF THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD...........IT WOULD BE DEVISTATING TO NO END..............Or if it happend to any child, or anyone on a bus. YES BUS DRIVERS IN FACT TO NEED TO SLOW DOWN AND HAVE A MONITOR AS THEY DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO BULLIES AND CHILDREN BEING BULLIED............ I COULD GET A GROUP OF KIDS TOGETHER AND I BET THEY COULD OPEN UP THE U.S . EYES ON SCHOOL BUSES........and tell you about more negatives than positives...... SAD BUT TRUE.........IRAQ ISNT THE ONLY PLACE THEIR ARE INJURYS,. As far as the seatbelts I thought they were Mandatory in most of the States.......I GUESS IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE FULLY INVESTIGATED AND BY ENGINEERS AND PROFESSIONALS....HOWEVER CHILDREN DO WEAR SEATBELTS IN all OTHER vechicles. WHY IS THAT ? Ps. I apologize for any spelling errors. A PROUD MOTHER,,, S. LEVY Conflict of Interest: BECAUSE I DO CARE ABOUT ALL KIDS AND ISSUES THAT IN FACT DO EFFECT THEIR WELL BEING , BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY.