The conspicuous absence of seat belt requirements in federal laws governing school bus safety has been the subject of intense debate for decades. Why, if seat belts are required in passenger cars, are they not in the vehicles that collectively transport millions of children to and from school every day? Given the life-saving ability of seat belts, proven in study after study, you’d think school buses should be equipped with seat belts for all children.
Instead of seat belts, school buses have a different safety feature known as compartmentation. Unlike seat belts, which are, in a sense, “extra” accessories attached to a vehicle, compartmentalization is something that is built into the very design of school buses. The goal is to secure passengers in padded, shock-absorbing compartments that protect them in the event of a collision and replace the need for traditional seat belts, which children are unlikely to use properly.
the egg carton
The compartmentalized nozzles are designed to protect passengers in the same way that a carton protects the eggs inside. School bus seats are designed with padded, flexible, shock-absorbing backrests that are high enough to prevent children from being thrown out of the compartment. These seats are made to strict federal guidelines, which regulate everything from the force they must withstand to the flooring they’re attached to.
If a school bus is ever involved in a collision, children will be trapped in these reinforced and padded seatbacks which will ideally absorb enough impact to prevent injury.
Does compartmentalization work?
Supporters of current school bus safety standards (i.e., those based on compartmentalization) point to the exceptionally low rate of injuries and fatalities on school buses, compared to other passenger vehicles, as good evidence of the effectiveness of the compartmentalized design.
However, as opponents point out, a correlation like this is not proof of causation. That is, just because a compartmentalized school bus system shows a low injury rate does not mean that the compartmentalized design was responsible for its safety record. Additionally, even government entities such as the National Transportation Safety Board have noted the ineffectiveness of compartmentalization in dealing with side impacts.