Is school bus in the US insecure?

According to the rules, children aged six years or younger must be fastened to a car seat, an amplifier seat or a child restraint system located in the backseat of cars throughout the country. Some states even require a child restraint system for children under eight years of age. So why are only a few states claiming the presence of seat belts in buses on which schoolchildren of the same age go?

Safety of the bus

Given the fact that 24 million pupils are transported twice a day to school and back on the yellow bus, and nearly 10 billion trips to educational institutions are carried out on more than 450,000 yellow school buses annually, parents have every right to take care of the safety of their children.

So, how do you know if a school bus, where your child drives every day, is safe?

What does statistics show?

According to statistics provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the journey on the school bus is currently the safest form of transportation by road, with a death rate almost six times lower than with other passenger vehicles. On average, less than eight passengers per year die in school buses, compared to 600 school-age children who die, riding to school and back on another mode of transport.

According to the Road Safety Association, all 50 US states, DC, Guam, Northern Mariana and Virgin Islands should strictly comply with the laws on the safety of children's passenger transport. But it seems that not everyone takes this issue seriously.

California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York put forward a strict requirement to use seat belts for school buses, and Texas requires their availability on buses purchased after September 2010. But what about the other forty-four states?

Precautionary measures

Fortunately, NHTSA is taking effective measures. In November, United States Transportation Minister Mary E. Peters announced a new federal law that would make school buses safer. If you rely on this project, then this mode of transport should be equipped with higher seat backs, it should use belts that meet the new safety standards. This rule applies to 474,000 school buses in the country.

After the entry into force of the rule this year, all new school buses will be equipped with 24-inch backrests. "The new approach," says Peters, "will provide children with greater security, reassure their parents and provide communities with a clearer idea of how to provide adequate protection to schoolchildren."

Thus NHTSA has made great strides in ensuring the safety of children. Yes, and parents of such a bill, of course, will please.

What should parents do?

If the parents are concerned about the safety of the school bus for their child, they are encouraged to contact the local school district. You should ask about the plans to modernize large school buses and find out what concrete steps are being taken in this direction. Also it is necessary to ask how carefully all bus drivers are checked and whether the routes are safe.

Along with the social pressure and academic stress that your child's school day entails, what you need to worry about is his physical safety on the way to the school. Therefore, you should ask the right questions on time.