You know what I find insane? There are no seat belts on school buses. Why not? There was a pretty bad accident near my area today, several kids went to the hospital with serious injuries. What I'm wondering is why it's deemed so profusely shocking for the average joe to not buckle up their kids properly depending on their age, why it's illegal to ride without a seatbelt (even if you are an adult), etc meanwhile there's no seat belts on school buses!

The government says you MUST buckle up ("for your own safety") or you'll pay a huge fine. And yet that same government packs kids onto buses without that same safety concern. It's literally mind blowing in my opinion. It's sheer hypocrisy and insanity. I just don't get it. You're going to tell me that if I wanted to jump in my car and roll down the street to the store without a seatbelt, I'm a criminal. But then you want to put a kid onto your school bus and just say come what may?

*shakes head in disbelief*

I here you leigh. There have been a couple of times where a school bus I've been on almost had an accident and it is not safe at all. They think telling the children to "Sit down" or"Keep all of your body parts inside of the window" and bus evacuation plans are going to justify for not having to buckle them up. Bullsh*t. I've been in and seen plenty of school buses where kids are standing up in there seats and sticking there heads out of the window. Once that bus goes rolling bodies are going to be flying around in the bus and possibly through the windshield.

That's something that I've never understood, it seems ridiculous.

In the fifth grade I believe it was, we went to the Dallas Museum of Art. On the way back there was an accident, the bus driver swerved trying not to hit the cars involved in the accident. In doing that about 3 of the kids on the bus were really injured, one even fractured his arm. They weren't playing around, they were sitting correctly in their seats. And they still got hurt.

I can't believe DISD can't raise money to install seatbelts in the buses.

Exactly to both of you! And kari, the heads at DISD can't find their way out of a paper bag. They're the most incompetent and shameful school system I've ever seen. The school board is consistently filled with criminals and unqualified jokes and the children of Dallas are suffering as a result. It's just outright embarrassing to the state of Texas.

You know one time I recall back in elementary (I didn't go to Dallas by the way) they actually packed us 3 to a seat. I was on the edge, basically just balancing on the corner, practically squatting in the damn isle. And we drove all the way across town, on highways, etc. It was crazy in retrospect.

Then in High School when I played basketball we went to an away game. On top of weaving constantly as if he was drunk, the driver got lost (such competence) and my teammate knew how to get there, so she gets up and goes to tell the driver the best way to go. She starts to walk back to her seat (which was in front of mine) and as she does the driver actually HITS THE CURB at full speed. She comes FLYING forward and I somehow managed to lean over into the isle quick enough catch her, keeping her from what could potentially have been a pretty violent fall.

The practices on school buses in general just are not safe, so adding no seat belts into the equation is just horror waiting to happen.

I really think it's going to take a whole busload of elementary students dying in some horrific accident (God forbid) before anybody wakes up and makes a change. And that is scary. If you recall online awhile back a video was released of an accident where kids where thrown violently into the air like ragdolls during an accident. Everybody was so shocked and horrified. But nothing changed because no one died. And why is that? Money. The cost of going in and adding seat belts to every single seat in every bus in the country would be astounding to each district. So they do nothing.

I guess I just want to know, since when are school systems exempt from having to follow the law?

I remember that happening alot, having to share a seat with two others. And holding on to eachother so we didn't go rolling down the aisle.
Once there was four of us...third grade I think, we were all skinny and were able to sit without being too uncomfortable, but thats beside the point. It's f*cking ridiculous.
Idiotic to have four girls in one seat...all squished together, at one point having to sit on eachothers laps.

They(teachers, parents) are so dramatic about sitting still, and being orderly. Why aren't they as dramatic and passionate about really doing something about it?

DISD...it's almost even funny. Sad really.

I hear you.

You know at the time it was funny, but in retrospect it's scary. I just saw that we are FINALLY making progress:

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot15208.htm

Alas this is only on small buses. Larger buses are still an issue and they will likely drag their heels on that for another few years.

I just want what's fair. If as an adult I am forced to use a seatbelt at all times, then the same should apply for children, ESPECIALLY when they are in the care of the city/state who made the seat belt laws in the first place.

That actually brought a smile to my face, it's just the start but I'm sure it'll make a difference. I hope.

That I don't agree with.

There may be few fatalities, but they could have been prevented. It's heartbreaking to think that things like these wouldn't even have to be heard of if we cared just a little more.

Sigh. I think people rely far too much on statistics that for all intensive purposes could be flawed and/or biased. If we instead just relied on common sense, we'd all be better off.

TRU DAT

I remember in elementary school in kansas city, some of our buses had seat belts but the school switched them for buses that didn't have belts for safety reasons- some of the kids were using them to hit each other. Since it wasn't mandatory to wear them, we saw them as potential toys. Yup that was their reasoning :shakehead:

I remember in elementary school they had seat belts, but I don't think anyone ever used them.

It's odd that some states have them and others don't. Some buses have them, and others don't. They should be in every bus and the rule should be you have to wear them. If you don't, or if you choose to hit someone with them then oh well, but the option for safety should still be there in my opinion.

Ah, memories!

The school bus, where people fall on top of you daily.

We didn't have designated school buses. There again, I wouldn't have got it anyway. I always remember in college though, getting the bus back into the city centre, the bus would be crammed. Literally, not a space to move. Getting off was like those puzzles where you had to move one square at a time to reveal the picture. We had to move one person a time to allow people to alight. People were everywhere, on the stairs (double decker buses), down the aisles, sitting on peoples knees. Madness. Good times though. :)

^ That was when I discovered my love for my bike :P . Hate public transport plus it's the perfect workout lol...