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Why Are Seat Belts Not Required on School Buses for Sale
Why Are Seat Belts Not Required on School Buses for Sale?
School buses carry the country’s most valuable assets, our children. As such, they need to be as safe as possible, so why don’t they come standard with seat belts? Of all current methods of transporting students to and from school, buses are by far the safest, even without the seat belts. Here’s how:
School buses for sale, particularly the larger ones, are heavy and sit rather high up from the road, which help improve passenger safety. First, the extra weight often means they cannot travel as fast as other vehicles. When collisions happen, the weight and slower speed of the bus in question reduces passenger jarring on impact.
Height also plays a large role, allowing the chassis to absorb much of the impact, further reducing potential injuries.
It Works for Eggs
There’s a reason egg cartons are designed the way they are. The compartmental design of the packaging protects the fragile eggs and school bus seats are designed with that in mind. The closeness helps control movement when there’s a sudden stop. Ample padding on the seats provide additional protection as well, further ensuring the safety of our children.
The Additional Costs
Adding seat belts to school buses for sale can increase the price by thousands of dollars, making the addition a financial burden for many school systems. Seat belts add a nominal level of additional safety and considering that less than ten children are killed in bus related accidents each year, compared to the thousands killed by other transportation means, school systems often cannot justify the extra expense.
Photo right: Creative Bus Sales Starcraft XL all electic School bus with seat bealts. Click on the photo for more information.
Optional but Not Necessary
Smaller buses, including those under 10,000 pounds, do require seat belts in some areas. Larger buses, while costly, can also have belts installed to promote more peace of mind and provide that small boost in safety that some would consider a worthy expense.
At Creative Bus, our school buses for sale can have seat belts installed as an optional feature. One way to help offset the additional cost of seat belts is to opt for alternative fuel buses, including those that run on propane, or bio-fuel, as they are often cheaper to maintain and fuel than traditional methods. To learn more about the safety features in school buses for sale, please contact the team at Creative Bus Sales today.
