Random Reasons Why School Buses Don't Have Seat Belts (8 items)

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  (#1) School Buses Are Built Like Tanks

  If a car collides into a school bus, chances are the majority of the damage will go to the car instead of the bus. In addition, top speeds are low and acceleration is slow, which usually ensures that damages to buses and their passengers remain minimal.
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  (#2) The Seats Are Specifically Designed To Absorb Impacts

  In the event of a crash, the heavily-padded seats are specially designed to absorb the maximum amount of impact. The seats themselves are better than seat belts at protecting kids from the kinds of crashes they would be likely to experience.
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  (#3) Seat Belts Would Prevent Quick Evacuation

  Seat belts could hinder rapid evacuation in the event of an emergency such as a fire or a crash into a body of water. Struggling with seat belts might cost children precious seconds, moments that could ultimately result in lost lives.
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  (#4) Seat Belts Could Do More Harm Than Good

  Does it sound like a good idea to equip every school bus seat with tiny, dense pieces of metal? Kids could easily wield them as weapons in fights or even just when playing around, making seat belts more of a liability than a help. 

  From Reddit user SirMichael_7: "When I was in high school the school district decided that all the busses needed seatbelts. So, they spent several thousand dollars equipping all of the buses with standard lap belts (two to a bench). Within three weeks they spent several thousand dollars removing all the belts from the buses after some kid split a little girl's head wide open with a seatbelt buckle." 
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  (#5) School Buses Are Very, Very Visible

  School buses are equipped with copious amounts of flashing warning signs. They're painted yellow due to the color's high visibility even in low light and come equipped with two flashing stop lights on either side. School buses are usually driven at slow speeds along residential streets, and there is low chance for a heavily damage-inducing collision, as most residential areas have a speed limit of 30 or below.
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  (#6) The High Backs Of The Seats Absorb Big And Small Shocks

  Ever notice how high the back of a school bus seat is, and how densely padded? It's an almost ideal shock absorber in case of an accident. 
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  (#7) The Seats Cause Shocks To Spread Across A Rider's Body...

  ...instead of being released through the head and neck (as it would with a seatbelt). Because of their size, buses have layouts specifically designed to incorporate heavily padded seats that, in a collision, provide an even cushion against a blow. A child involved in an accident ultimately experiences less whiplash because the impact force is distributed evenly across the body.
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  (#8) School Buses Typically Drive At Slow Speeds

  School buses are usually driven at slow speeds along residential streets. Because of their low speed in general, there is an extremely slim chance that the bus will ever be involved in a heavily damage-inducing collision, as most residential areas have a speed limit of 25 mph.

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