Today was the third day I put my precious boy on the bus. As he struggled to climb the oversized steps carting his oversized backpack, finally settling himself into the oversized and slippery seats I had to wonder... what's up with no safety belts on the bus?
For the past 5 years we have protected our son by buckling him into car seats, strollers - hell, even the booster seat at restaurants have seat belts! We don't buy a car unless we know where all the airbags are (front and side, thank you very much). We don't let him play with his big wheel, bicycle or scooter without wearing a helmet. And these days he rides in a cushy booster seat with side bolsters to protect his head and cup holders to hold his beverages (we want him safe AND well hydrated).
Which is why, as I watch him sliding around on a seat that is too big for him - his legs aren't even long enough to allow his knees to bend fully when his back is up against the back of the seat - I can't help but wonder why it is suddenly okay for me to chuck him into a big bus without any safety belt or other restraint system to keep him in his seat. In fact, we KNOW that he fell out of his seat on the very first day of school!
I know I'm not the first parent (or news organization) to ask the question. And I know there are recommendations available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which "conducted crash testing of pre-school age size dummies in school bus seats. The test results showed that pre-school age children in school buses are safest when transported in child safety restraint systems (CSRSs) that meets FMVSS 213, Child Restraint Systems, and are correctly attached to the seats." (Want to read it yourself? Click here - it's very interesting).
So the real question isn't why don't the school buses have seat belts. It's what is a parent supposed to (or able to) do about it? Sounds like a question for our favorite mom's political group Moms Rising.
Until then, maybe I'll make my son ride to school wearing his bicycle helmet. And football pads.
