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Should school buses have and enforce seat belt use?

Without any doubt, school buses should be equipped with seat belts, and the drivers should enforce the use of those seat belts.

It is outrageous that school board officials and other supposedly responsible' decision-makers quote statistics' and seat belt injury' and even low death rates' to justify NOT funding seat belt programs.

Accidents do happen.
Bus accidents that involve children are tremendously sad occasions and unavoidably, they do happen.

Some types of accidents do result in death regardless of whether or not seat belts are used. A recent tragedy in Western Canada involving a school bus side-swiping a gravel truck and then hitting a utility pole with death and injury resulting was a good example of that situation. The side of the bus was opened, exposing all occupants to danger.
Cell phone use was reportedly involved in this accident.
That really inspires confidence in school transportation policy.

Bus manufacturers state proudly that bus designs and compartmentalization' creates a safe environment for our children. Bus drivers complain loudly that seat belts would be a tangle, and they would be tripping all over them, and the children would use the buckles as weapons, ad nauseum.
Bus drivers are responsible for the lives of our children

Bus drivers also complain that THEY would have to enforce the use of seat belts.
Children are unruly'. The kids would complain and not comply'.

Really? How pathetic. The bus driver might actually have to pay attention or something, and the children might actually have to do what they are told and behave for twenty minutes while they ride to school.
This disciplinary process must be unacceptable to SOMEONE. Apparently US.
Our feel-good' society disapproves and would rather wager their children's lives instead of suggesting that discipline be applicable to safety.

Advocates of non-use of seat belts quote seat belt injury' -damage to collarbones and severe bruising when accidents occur where the occupant uses a seat belt in a major accident.

Pay attention: Bruised is NOT dead.

Designers of seat belts have also clearly taken the inexpensive route in designing seat belts. There is no excuse for NOT having padded-type seat belts.
Design is everything, but apparently money and budgets are considered to be more important than children's lives.

Not ONE of these excuses is good enough to justify NOT protecting

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