The people on the bus go up and down in a crash — but they're still safer than in an ordinary car with seat belts, said Transport Canada.
There were 3,684 injuries and 11 deaths in crashes on school buses in Canada between 2003 to 2012, Transport Canada notes in their National Collision Database.
"Transport Canada has not deemed seat belts to be mandatory, and basically their rationale is that the school bus safety record is so excellent," said David Carroll, Legislation and Safety Consultant to the Ontario School Bus Association (OSBA).
"A child is 16 times safer riding to school in a school bus than riding to school in a family car.".
"And you have a vehicle that sits higher than other traffic — when most vehicles hit a school bus, they collide below the floor line.".
If there are seat belts on a school bus, Transport Canada recommends three-point belts — the harness and lap belt combination seen in most cars.
Even if school buses don't ever have seat belts, there are still ways to make them safer, Carroll said. »
