Why Don’t School Buses Have Seatbelts?

I went on a field trip with my daughter’s 4th grade class today – and that meant I got to ride on a school buses for the first time in 23 years (oh my I am getting OLD). Can someone tell me why we are required to wear seatbelts in our private vehicles, you wear them when you ride on a coach bus, they are required on airplanes, and they have them on trains, but on a crowded bus of relatively unsupervised school children, there are no such safety devices?

We didn’t have far to go, but the road was bumpy at times. The kids were being kids – and jumping around at every chance. And I kept having visions of what might happen if the bus was in an accident – there would be kids flying everywhere!!

Somebody tell me again why it is not mandatory for buses to be equipped with seatbelts?

What’s your thought on school buses and seatbelts?

Here are a few more articles that discuss this issue:

• Why Don’t School Buses Have Seatbelts?
  
• Should School Buses Have Safety Belts?
• Bus Crash Renews Debate on Seat Belts
• Recent school bus accidents revive calls for seat belts
• School Bus Seatbelt Debate Rages On
• School Bus Wreck Injures 16 Kids