In recent months, the sudden wave of school bus accidents across the United States has given rise to a new debate regarding the use of seat belts on school buses: “Should wearing seat belts be mandatory and will they help reduce the number of accidents involving the school bus? Surprising as it may seem, there are two opposing sides to this issue. While many argue that seat belt use should be mandatory for children, regardless of whether they are traveling by car or school bus, opponents of this view insist that proper bucket seats, metal frames of padded seats and bumpers help protect children while eliminating the need for seat belts.

Although most accidents and injuries occur inside the school bus itself, children who are strapped into their seats are more likely to remain safe in the event of a collision or accident. On the other hand, what if half the children on the bus are wearing seat belts and half are not? In the event of a collision, children who are not restrained end up being hit against children who are properly seated. While sitting children have to absorb their own body weight, they also end up absorbing the weight of other children, increasing their chance of bodily injury. Concern has also been raised in a possible scenario where a bus is about to explode after an accident and additional time is required to help children who are securely fastened to their seats to escape safely. Here, a safety mechanism intended to save a life may, in far-fetched circumstances, be the reason for the loss of a life.

Finding a proper answer to the debated question may seem simple, but there are quite a few pros and cons to this topic.

Advantage:

• Save lives in high speed crashes
• Prevent children from being pushed
• Reduce death, accident impact and bodily injury.
• Helps improve behavior on the bus.
• Children need to be educated on the importance of wearing seat belts

Cons:

• Improper use leads to seat belt related injuries
• Low effectiveness for close side impact collisions
• High installation cost involved
• Can make it difficult to get out in emergencies
• Children can use seat belts as weapons

Although it can be argued that they are not really necessary on a school bus, making three-point shoulder seat belts mandatory could do wonders for reducing school bus accidents.