Opponents of requiring belts contend that school buses are already the safest form of road transportation. Seat belts, they say, may do more harm than good. Kids may use them as weapons. They may slow students exiting a bus in an emergency. They may cause abdominal injuries in certain crashes.
Supporters can counter each argument.
Students who are belted in are less likely to be discipline problems. Students dazed or knocked unconscious in a crash or rollover would have even more trouble exiting than students held in place by belts. The risk of abdominal injuries is negligible and those injuries are preferable to worse injuries without belts. School bus safety has been exaggerated, seat belt supporters say. While deaths to students aboard buses are rare, they note that there are a significant number of serious injuries and they are on the rise.