The president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) is calling on governments to consider the benefits of installing seatbelts on school buses following a recent crash south of Carstairs that injured nine students.
Dr. Louis Francescutti said that while the CMA doesn't take a position on the issue, as a University of Alberta researcher and emergency room physician his personal opinion is that governments should be installing the restraints.
Francescutti pointed out that 11 U.S. states and the U.S. federal government have had initiatives aimed at passing legislation mandating the use of seatbelts on school buses in an attempt to limit the number of students injured or killed when crashes occur.
“School buses don't crash that often thank goodness, but when they do it seems that kids are getting hurt,” Francescutti told the Gazette. “When you stop and think about it, it only makes sense.
“Kids travelling in a school bus, whether it's 60 kilometres an hour or whether it's a hundred, when that school bus stops, those kids will continue to travel at the same speed. The inside of a car is a little compartment and yet we don't say we'll just let people bounce around the inside of a car.
“We ask the occupants of cars, planes and roller coaster rides and just about every other moving vehicle to wear seatbelts, so we need to dispel the notion that there's something magical about a yellow school bus and the laws of physics don't apply to it. The laws of physics do apply to school buses just like any other vehicle. Intuitively, it makes sense, and the evidence, I think, is pretty convincing.”
Francescutti speculates the reason why governments have not installed seatbelts on buses is cost and those that have installed seatbelts on buses recognize the potential downside of not doing so could be severe.
Children are less likely than adults to come away from physical trauma unharmed, he said.
“Injury kills more kids than all other childhood diseases combined and when you take a look at motor vehicles, motor-vehicle related injuries are amongst the leading causes of death. For a lot of kids, school buses are their only (transportation) option so that's why we have to go out of our way to really offer them every last bit of protection,” he said.
But at least one parent in the CESD doesn't think the lack of seatbelts on school buses poses much of an issue.
Erin Griffin, who has two children who ride the bus to school in Sundre, said she is much more concerned about children misbehaving while on the bus and distracting the driver.
“I grew up riding the school bus and there was no seatbelts. It's not one of my biggest concerns,” said Griffin.
“It's the kids' job and the bus driver's (to maintain safety). If the kids are misbehaving then the bus driver is dealing with that and not paying attention, so I think bus safety is the kids' job just as much as the bus driver's. And probably the school's job to educate these kids that are riding the bus.”
Transport Canada, which regulates the safety standards for school buses and child seats, said it has no evidence that installing three-point belts would improve safety on buses.
“While this system is available, it would require structural design changes to the interior of many buses,” Karine Martel, media relations advisor for Transport Canada, said in an email in response to a Gazette request for comment.
There are concerns that instead of using the belts as intended, children would play with them, possibly injuring other children, she said.
As for the use of lap belts only, children could pivot on the belt causing injury, she said.
“If a lap belt were used, the child's body might pivot on the belt, focusing the force of the blow onto the head and neck. And if the seat belt is not worn correctly (it should be worn low on the hips), the stomach or spine might be damaged,” she said.
David Hennig, assistant director of communications for Alberta Transportation, said there are differences of opinion on the research into injuries, but that, “school buses are considered to be one of the most safest modes of transportation. Any decision related to seatbelts in school buses would only be made after very careful consideration of existing research and there is conflicting research out there.”
Dieter Brandt, director of transportation for Chinook's Edge School Division, said school buses go through a variety of daily checks and are also subject to a complete mechanical and safety inspection every six months by trained CESD mechanics. Alberta Transportation sets out the checklist of what should be inspected.
CESD has about 80 buses run by its own drivers, plus additional buses that are contracted out. Companies who contract to CESD must undertake their own mechanical checks of buses.
About 48 per cent of the division's roughly 11,000 students ride a school bus.
“Safety-wise, we've had no concerns. We've been very fortunate and I believe it's the policies and procedures we have in place that help with that,” Brandt said.
"The laws of physics do apply to school buses just like any other vehicle."Dr. Louis Francescutti, emergency room physician
