The yellow school bus has become an American icon. It elicits fond memories of school days. Riding a yellow bus to school has become a right of passage in American culture. Featured in movies like Forrest Gump, the school bus symbolizes the start of a young child leaving home to adventure off into the world. Children watch their older siblings board the school bus daily and eagerly await the time when they will be able to join.Since the yellow bus is such a large part of our culture, we don't stop to question how safe it is. When the standard bus model was first introduced, our cars were not equipped with extensive safety features such as seat belts and airbags. Therefore, the bus was perfectly good vehicle for its time. However, now that our cars are much safe, should the bus be renovated?Early research into injuries from school buses only looked at the number of bus crashes. However, injuries can occur on a bus without it crashing. When including injuries that happen on school buses that have not crashed, the previous number of bus injuries doubled. In the United States, 17,000 children are treated in the emergency room as a result of an injury on a school bus annually.Crashes only account for 42% of injuries. One quarter of accidents occur when children are entering or exiting the bus. The other accidents occur from slips and falls, sudden stops, sharp turns, or roughhousing. Most injuries are not life threatening as they are minor cuts and sprains. Researchers also noted that the injuries represent a very small fraction of all the 23.5 million children who travel by bus.With this data, there is a strong argument for safety seat belts on school buses according to researchers at Columbus Children's Hospital's Center for Injury Research and Policy in Ohio. However, there are worries that the school districts cannot afford the added expense. Not only would the cost of the seat belts cause a financial burden, but when seat belts are added, the capacity that the school bus will be able to hold will be reduced. Thus, districts will need to purchase additional buses to cover the offset.If your child has been injured on a school bus, you may be entitled to damages.
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