![]() They say there is some evidence that the number of injuries may actually increase if school buses used seatbelts because the belts themselves can hurt children. Of course, compartmentalization may have little effect in the event of a rollover accident, but safety experts aren't sure seatbelts would be sufficiently effective. Mile per mile, school bus fatalities happen at 1/7 the average rate of all other auto accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board and the National Academy of Sciences have both conducted studies that concluded that this type of seating is effective enough to protect children when there's an accident. #HIGH SCHOOL STORY HACK WINDOWS#Passenger windows are placed higher above students' heads than in typical vehicles.There are no windshields or doors close to riders in an effort to prevent ejection from the bus.Seats are closer together than in most vehicles, creating even more of a safe zone.The four-inch cushioned seats and high seat backs create a compartment for students in the event of an accident.School bus seats are higher off the ground so that most opposing vehicles are below the kids' feet.The seating on school buses follows a "compartmentalization" model and is designed to keep kids safe even though they're not wearing seatbelts.Ĭompartmentalization consists of a few different elements: Among the improvements was something called "compartmentalization." Why Don't School Buses Have Seatbelts? Most of these requirements went into effect on April 1, 1977. ![]() Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for School Buses. This focus on structural integrity influenced new requirements in the U.S. In response, manufacturers began implementing designs that reduced body joints. In the late 1960s, rollover crash tests proved that body joints (where school bus panels and pieces join together) were a structural weak point. #HIGH SCHOOL STORY HACK DRIVERS#In addition, in an effort to further prevent drivers from passing a stopped school bus, flashing lights were added to buses' stop arms. ![]() Some states began to use amber warning lamps to indicate to drivers that a school bus is getting ready to drop off students. School bus safety came to the forefront in the 1970s. ![]() The same decade ushered in some important safety developments. Then, during the 1970s, several cities were court-ordered to bus students in to integrate schools, and this required the use of even more school buses. The new, larger schools were located farther apart and busing became a necessity. One-room school houses essentially disappeared in rural areas, and smaller schools began to consolidate. Mid-late 20th Century: In the years following WWII, several factors lead to an increase in school bus production and safety innovations. By 1974, all school buses in the United States were painted "school bus glossy yellow." Yellow is also highly visible in the early morning and evening light, times when school buses operate. It's seen in a person's peripheral vision 1.24 times faster than the color red. One of them was that all school buses should be "national school bus glossy yellow." The color was chosen because it's registered by the human eye faster than any other color. At the end of the conference, 44 national standards had been established. In 1939, a conference was organized at the University of Manhattan to develop school bus standards. Wayne Works (one of the longest-running school bus manufacturers), introduced the first all-steel school bus body design with safety glass, and the entry door moved from the back of the bus to the front. The 1930s: In the 1930s, school buses became their own, distinct vehicles, instead of adapted versions of wagons, carriages, or trucks. Furthermore, the buses weren't weatherproof, with only a tarp stretched over the passenger seating. The design of the vehicles remained about the same, with wood construction, seating on the perimeter, and a door in the rear. The use of hacks wasn't widespread, however, and many kids at that time still walked to school, used farm wagons, or rode on sledges (a vehicle on runners, normally pulled by draft animals).Įarly 20th Century: In 1914, there were more cars on the road, and school buses went horseless. ![]() They were pulled by horses, and to avoid scaring the animals, kids used the back of the vehicle to enter and exit. Some hacks were repurposed farm wagons, and some were specially built to transport people, with bench-style seating on the perimeter. Late 19th Century: In the 1880s, "kid hacks" weren't ways to solve your biggest parenting problems – they were the early version of the school bus. Here's a look back at how schools buses have evolved over the years and why they're considered one of the safest forms of transportation on the roads. In fact, school buses transport 26 million US students every year. Your parents and grandparents have told you stories of walking miles to get to school – uphill both ways of course. ![]()
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