Why don't school buses have seatbelts?

School buses were designed to be the safest mode of transport for kids, but at least 18 states are considering mandatory seat belt laws. read more

The main answer, at least for school buses (virtually all research on buses and seatbelts has focused on school buses) is that seatbelts do not make school buses safer. Overall, travel on a school bus is the safest way to travel—40 times safer than riding in a car—with only a handful of deaths occurring to passengers on school buses every year. read more

Federal law only requires seat belts in school buses that weigh less than 10,000 pounds, and historically, regulators have opposed such federal mandates on coach buses. But at least 18 states, including Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Virginia, are currently considering such legislation. read more

Because modern school buses are already remarkably safe, and because seat belts don't work the same way in buses as they do cars, research shows. Numerous federal and academic studies have concluded that school buses are the safest form of ground transportation of all, in fact. read more