A rule for seatbelts whether you are a driver or a passenger. Even babies are not exempted from it. The requirements are quite strict but still we find that buses do not have seatbelts in them. Have you ever wondered why?
For starters having seatbelts in buses does not make it safer. The research carried out on school buses or passengers found that having seatbelts in them does not make the ride any safer yet still school going children are better off in buses than in cars.
If we talk about children, the ratio of school buses experiencing accidents is very low i.e. 40 times safe than taking a ride in the car. Reported cases of deaths in japan car auction sites via school buses are less than any other form of transport on annual basis.
The concept of compartmentalization makes it safe in buses. Here, the seats are placed closed to each other and have high backs which are padded. So if the bus were to experience a rough patch or get in an accident, padded seatbacks acts as preemptive version of airbag.
Moreover, people in buses sit on a high ground meaning that in the case of an accident, the height acts as a safety mechanism since on impact, the area beneath seats take a hit. And this not the case with school buses only but highway buses as well packs this feature.
There are always some cons too. Seats are arranged in a parallel order. Thus, upon impact the passengers who have seats in front of them have better protection than those sitting on either side of each other. As a result fatalities can occur. The idea is to have buses with low flooring to absorb the impact.
There is also a theory which explains why there is no seatbelts. The factor of cost. Apparently, if the buses were to be instilled with seatbelts, the cost of each bus is expected to go up by 8000 to 15000 USD. Plus seatbelts mean more space will be taken which will contribute to less space.
This additional space taken up by the buses will then be accounted through expanding bus fleets by as much as 15% to carry the same number of people which one bus used to. The increase will be especially difficult in urban areas because of overcrowding.
However, still there is progress despite of all the limitations being posed against seatbelts. If there is a consensus, it is on regular LUM auction house buses that they do not require seatbelts but there is call for adherence to improved safety methods so that the probability of accidents can be reduced in light of the increase in bus crashes on highway.
There is a legislation pending for the inclusion of seatbelts in school buses but the coaches are not pending any such requirement as more than 80 % of these buses have seatbelts installed in them. The life of these buses is between 15 to 20 years and for all them to have it, a considerable amount of time is required.
Plus there hasn’t been much concerns raised by general public either. And realistically speaking there is no such need for seatbelts on these buses. The buses don’t over speed if you are looking for reasons as they don’t go above 35mph and any collisions resulting would be on a very miniscule scale. All in all, the trips regular buses take around the city are usually small distances. Further cementing the fact that seatbelts in buses are nevertheless desirable but not recommended.