Image Source: SafeGuard
Seat belts seem like such a simple issue, but in the world of school buses seat belt configurations can highly divisive. If you don’t believe me, check out Frank Di Giacomo’s article in the April/May issue of School Bus Fleet’s Magazine.
In the article, Giacomo argues that lap-shoulder belts could potentially function together with compartmentalization, which refers to the spacing and layout of the impact-absorbing, high-back, padded seats in a bus.
You would think that a proposition combining two highly championed methods of protecting passengers on school buses would be a no-brainer, but Giacomo received enough responses both in support and strongly against his idea that he had to readdress the issue this month.
While I find the concepts put forth by Giacomo plausible, it is very interesting to see the perspectives from drivers, mechanics, administrators, and parents in regards to whether lap-shoulder belts and compartmentalization can ever be used together to increase safety.
Some argue that neither can exist together. One commenter goes as far as saying compartmentalization is entirely compromised and negated by lap-shoulder belts, saying, “It really is an issue of either compartmentalization or lap-shoulder belts. … Once you go the route of lap-shoulder, you are no longer able to rely on compartmentalization. The seats are more rigid and do not provide the same benefit that non-seat belt seats provide.”
Other perspectives however, simply refuse the idea of adding seat-belts in fear of complicating emergency procedures, as one comment suggests. “I have experienced a bus fuel leak evacuation with approximately 30 students … I can only imagine the increased chaos we would have experienced if everyone was trying to get out of a lap-shoulder belt.”
Ultimately, I wouldn’t expect to see lap-shoulder belts regulated for buses across the country any time soon, but the push back to the very idea of lap-shoulder belts is intriguing. If they ever are implemented in buses, the belts will undoubtedly go through extensive testing in the bus setting, If those findings show that safety is increased by combining lap-shoulder belts with compartmentalization, I think it is time to add them. The vehicles used to transport students every day can never be too safe.
