Why aren’t seat belts mandatory in all school buses? –Kesti16, via AOL
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Several factors account for the good record. School buses are taller and heavier than most other traffic and generally travel at moderate speeds. In a collision, high seat backs prevent kids from being thrown great distances, and impact-absorbing materials soften the blow.
The question remains controversial, however. High seat backs don’t help much when a bus is hit from the side or rolls over, and some people think more should be done. The national Parent-Teacher Association, for example, has called for seat belts on new buses. The federal government recently began a two-year investigation of school bus safety that will likely result in new precautions. According to Education Week more than two dozen state legislatures have considered mandatory seat belts over the years, although only New York and New Jersey currently require them.
to ratchet up a notch. A host of physiological mechanisms then kicks in to
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): illustration by Slug Signorino.
