Coach Buses

[SingleFatherofDD]

I know this is a heated topic when ever I bring it up in conversation among my fellow colegees. This was the case over the last three days when here in New York we had to fatal Coach Bus accidents. Between the two accidents 17 people lost their lives and many others are in the hospital. Luckily non of the injured where children.

 

Tonight at dinner with my whole family together we discussed the accidents. My brother who hasn't been in one of these buses in a long time was surprised that there aren't seat belts for the passengers, only for the driver. He said no wonder there have been so many deaths. I try to remind him that while he and I were growing up children and even adults could ride in the car without seat belts.

 

The reason I started this post is to get your feelings about Coach Buses. Most of use take these buses from the airport to the pier or even take excursion in ports in them. Unlike the USA some of these countries are less strict about their seat belt laws. I know when I went on a day trip with DD who is 5 to a ski resort from LI we took a Coach bus without seat belts. My DD who is 5 and almost as tall as a 7 year old still needs a booster seat, under NY state law, so she was looking for a seat belt but didn't find one. I told her that she doesn't need one on these types of buses. She was shocked!!!!

 

I think some of the seat belt laws in the US and each State go a little far at times. They do help with safety but is it also a way to raise money. Almost each year you have to buy a new child seat especially from baby, to toddler, to 3 years old. They grow so fast. Then it is into the booster seats. However, living in the city at times you see people never use seat belts. I go on the subway, people are sitting with children on their labs, transit buses are the same.

 

What is a parent to do? Should they take their child seat everywhere. Sometimes there isn't even a way to secure it. I know that when I was growing up nothing was what it is now. Most of your are either my age or a little younger so you know what I am talking about. This is just a small discussion to talk about.

 

Have a good night all.

[cb at sea]

Even school buses have no seatbelts....yes..accidents CAN happen, but the odds are in your favor that it won't.

 

We grew up without seatbelts at all...and yet, here we are! Kid's sat in the seat, stood on the seat, played in the floor....and most of us made it just fine!

A childseat with no way to secure it is more dangerous than not using anything.

 

Sometimes, you just have to "go with the flow".

[Mom2B&Z]

Generally coach buses and other larger vehicles without seatbelts are designed to protect the occupants without a seatbelt restraint. School buses do not have seatbelts because there are a multitude of other safety features that protect the children on board. This being said, children do need to be a certain height and developemental stage for these features to work effectively. If you're really interested in this topic, you can find lots of good information through the ministry of transportation (or whatever its called where you live...). So your 5yo was likely safe travelling in the coach bus on your ski trip.

Riding in a car/van/pick up truck without a restraint is another story. These vehicles are not designed to protect occupants unless they are restrained in a seatbelt. That's one reason why air bags are called "supplemental restraint systems"...they supplement the seat belts.

So, for my boys (who will be almost 7 and just turned 4 the next time we travel), I always travel with appropriate vehicle restraint systems. I don't mind using a water taxi or coach bus for the eldest as I know he meets the minimum physiological requirements (at least in Canada) for being safe in these vehicles. DS2 is another matter, and I do my best to find him transportation where I can use his car seat. I've said it before and I will say it again: I do everything in my power to keep my boys safe. If this means lugging a car seat and booster seat on airplanes, taxis, shuttles, etc, that's what we do.

I don't believe car seats are a money grab. However, I'm a certified car seat tech in Canada and do know quite a bit more about this topic than the average parent. If you do it right, you could buy a rear facing/forward facing car seat, then a forward facing/booster combination seat, which together could keep your child in a car seat and booster until they are 10 years old. Most parents like the convenience of an infant bucket seat, so that adds another seat purchase to the mix. I don't buy into the whole "I rode in the back window/jump seat/back of the station wagon and survived" argument, because the ones who didn't survive aren't here to voice that opinion. Yes, I stood in the back seat as a 2yo while my Mother drove me around. That doesn't mean I was safe. There are a multitude of statistics that back up the statement that kids are safer when in an appropriate child restraint. There was even an incident near here a few years ago where the only survivor of a small plane crash was a 3yo in his Britax Marathon, which thankfully was properly installed in the aircraft.

Working in health care, I always give people this analogy: If you're sick, do you want the treatment from 30 years ago, or the treatment we use now? Most of us (with some exceptions!) will say they want the current treatment, because it has been improved upon for the past 30 years. The same things applies to the use of child restraints in vehicles. Basically we didn't have anything better 30+ years ago when this would have applied to me :)

 

I know this is a heated topic when ever I bring it up in conversation among my fellow colegees. This was the case over the last three days when here in New York we had to fatal Coach Bus accidents. Between the two accidents 17 people lost their lives and many others are in the hospital. Luckily non of the injured where children.

 

Tonight at dinner with my whole family together we discussed the accidents. My brother who hasn't been in one of these buses in a long time was surprised that there aren't seat belts for the passengers, only for the driver. He said no wonder there have been so many deaths. I try to remind him that while he and I were growing up children and even adults could ride in the car without seat belts.

 

The reason I started this post is to get your feelings about Coach Buses. Most of use take these buses from the airport to the pier or even take excursion in ports in them. Unlike the USA some of these countries are less strict about their seat belt laws. I know when I went on a day trip with DD who is 5 to a ski resort from LI we took a Coach bus without seat belts. My DD who is 5 and almost as tall as a 7 year old still needs a booster seat, under NY state law, so she was looking for a seat belt but didn't find one. I told her that she doesn't need one on these types of buses. She was shocked!!!!

 

I think some of the seat belt laws in the US and each State go a little far at times. They do help with safety but is it also a way to raise money. Almost each year you have to buy a new child seat especially from baby, to toddler, to 3 years old. They grow so fast. Then it is into the booster seats. However, living in the city at times you see people never use seat belts. I go on the subway, people are sitting with children on their labs, transit buses are the same.

 

What is a parent to do? Should they take their child seat everywhere. Sometimes there isn't even a way to secure it. I know that when I was growing up nothing was what it is now. Most of your are either my age or a little younger so you know what I am talking about. This is just a small discussion to talk about.

 

Have a good night all.

[sparky-elpaso]

I rode the bus to and from work every day for over 13 years - on the freeway. Was in 1 accident - no one was injured. Accidents involving buses are relatively rare so I consider them very safe.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Late to it, but remember that a bus without seat belts is quite a lot safer than a car with full safety equipment.