Why don't school buses have seat belts?
Many parents are concerned about the apparent contradiction in the law that requires drivers and passengers to use seat belts when travelling in automobiles, but most school buses are not equipped with passenger seat belts.

School buses do not have seat belts because they are specifically designed and constructed to protect occupants using a passive system of restraint, called compartmentalization. In 1980, 35 new safety standards for school buses were introduced, including a new seating design.

What is this new seating design?
The seating design involves high seat backs filled with high energy absorbing padding. The seats are placed closer together and the anchorage

for the seat is also stronger. The seats form "compartments" for the passengers, and in a frontal collision this helps keep the child's body contained within the seating position and absorbs the forces of a collision.

Wouldn't seat belts add further protection?
Transport Canada studies found that in frontal collisions, more severe head and neck injuries could result with the use of seat belts in school buses that have compartmentalized seating.

In school buses with rear-facing seats, retractable lap belts were effective in reducing injuries. These types of buses were built and tested in 1987/88. However, problems with visibility on the right hand side of the bus have limited production of these types of buses.

How safe are school buses?
The post-1980 school buses have a superior safety record. With the new seating design and from strengthening the bus joints and body for added rollover protection, school buses are one of the safest vehicles in which to travel.

From 1982 to 1992, there were more than 1.4 billion pupil trips. During this time there were two fatalities and just under 2,000 pupils were injured inside school buses. In 1994, a collision involving a school bus resulted in two fatalities. The coroner's inquest into these deaths looked into the studies of whether seat belts are necessary on school buses. The report found that lap belts on school buses may, in fact, increase the risk of injury and recommended that seat belts should not be added to new school buses. In an average year approximately 200 children are injured riding in school buses, with about eight of those requiring hospital care.

Statistically, the greatest number of fatalities involving school buses occur outside the buses, when children are disembarking or attempting to cross the street.

How can I protect my child?
A critical factor in school bus safety is teaching children about the proper procedures and necessary behaviour in and around school buses. Children should learn the importance of remaining seated when the bus is moving and to face forward. They should never distract the driver.