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[CJLeBeau]

So I learned something very disturbing this morning. My daughter's regular bus driver (who we love love love) always waits for her (and the other little kids on the bus) to buckle their seatbelts before driving off. This morning there was a substitute driver who drove off before she'd barely sat down, much less buckled her seatbelt.

He'd also been impatient when she dropped her backpack and had to brush off the snow before getting on the bus. I found his impatience both unpleasant and -- especially on a snowy day -- potentially dangerous, so I called the transportation office to complain.

That's when I learned that, while New York state mandates that buses *have* seatbelts, it does not mandate that kids actually *wear* them. That decision is up to each school district. That seems crazy to me. Especially for the little ones. And especially for little ones who sit in the aisle seats closest to the driver, where a skid or sharp stop could send them down the stairs or into the control panel/windshield.

I did some more research and learned that, except for kids under age 4, that is correct. But I also learned that the drivers themselves *are* required to wear seatbelts, which makes me even angrier.

Does anyone know whether this has ever come up with the school board? Does anyone else think this is crazy?

Chris

[CoolGrrl28]

I agree with you 100%, Chris!

[Hilary]

I think New York is one of the few states that even mandates seat belts on school buses. I don't see the point of having them if you don't use them, though! I know this is an issue that the national PTA has been active on.

(It does make sense to me that drivers are required to wear seatbelts, though -- aren't all drivers required to wear seatbelts?)

[CJLeBeau]

Hi, Hilary. Yes, it makes sense for the drivers to wear seatbelts because all drivers have to wear seatbelts. But all passengers under 16 (and front-seat passengers of any age) are required to wear seatbelts, too, so that should extend to kids on school buses as well!

And yes, NYS is one of the few states requiring seatbelts on school buses, except that a lot of the promotion about that conveniently excludes the fact that no one has to actually use the seatbelts! Of course that's the craziest part: Why require seatbelts at all if you aren't going to require kids to use them?!

[beanqueen]

My child never rode the bus in grade school (except for the rare filed trip), so I don't know about this:

With previous age-based  Booster Seat Laws for cars, and now the more practical height and weight based law, how do school bus seat belts fit in the picture?  The automobile rules are because a child could be seriously injured by an adult seat belt. Is that strictly because of the shoulder strap? I vaguely think that yellow buses only have lap belts.  Anybody?

[brijida5]

This is the first year that my children have been on a school bus.  I have stressed to them many times that they must wear their seatbelts.  My kids  have told me that many kids do not wear their seatbelts.  I also have seen the bus pull away with the kids still walking down the isle.  It upset me because it is obvious that it is not safe.  My children have told me that the bus home is pretty out of control and they have seen fights on the bus.  I wasn't sure about letting them ride the bus in the first place and somedays I question if it is a good idea or not.  I myself have been saved by a seatbelt and have seen video of childern on a bus with no seatbelts on, who were involved in an accident, and it was not pretty.  I believe that they should wear them. 

[CJLeBeau]

My daughter's bus is actually pretty sane, thank goodness, and it's one of the smaller ones, so the driver can keep an easy eye on things. But this seatbelt business is ridiculous.

After calling the transportation office and complaining, I also spoke to the substitute driver the next day and told him I didn't want the bus driving off until my daughter was buckled in. He was very pleasant about it and very accommodating (that first-day impatience thankfully didn't show up again). After that, he made sure she was buckled and even got up himself to help her a couple times. So, if you're concerned about this, you might talk to your own bus driver. At least then you can be sure your own child is buckled in, even if district policy doesn't mandate it for everyone!

Chris