Why is seat belt required on airplanes but not on buses or subways?
Friday, May 14th, 2010 at
6:54 am
Aren’t buses or subway cars more likely to get in accidents, just like cars, in which you are required to wear a seat belt? On airplanes, however, how much safety/protection does the seat belt offer in case of a crash?
Just a silly question.
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the same reason we drive on parkways and park on driveways
Ick…the thought of seatbelts on the subway is a little gross….those trains are disgusting. Plus in most you are sitting sideways anyway. They should definitely be required on buses though.
You’re quite right. It’s not a silly question at all. Many people have been injured on buses and subways that wouldn’t have been if they had used seatbelts.
A couple of problems:
1. It would be very difficult to enforce, making the public transportation more expensive (hiring people to enforce the rule)
2. It would mean that people could not stand up in the vehicle, which would also make public transportation more expensive.
As to the first problem, it could be resolved simply by providing seatbelts, and requesting that people use them, but not trying to enforce the rule. As to the second, I have no solution. I think public transportation should be free, or at a token price. It would pay for itself in reduced polution, etc. There would also need to be a much larger number of vehicles available for public transportation, in order to give decent service.
The seatbelts would, of course, require even more vehicles. Mybe somebody here will have a solution to suggest.
EDIT:
Seatbelts should definitely be mandatory on the railway.
rapid deceleration and acceleration and of course turbulence. Speed of airplane versus speed of bus mean a lot-more potential for accident or incident on an airplane and as for protection I believe at minor incidents like turbulence it has a positive factor but at high speed impact nothing will help. Truth be know airplane seats should be rear facing.
Bus Construction
In an accident involving a school bus, most fatalities and injuries occur outside of the bus. The construction of a typical school bus creates a safer passenger environment than that of a car or lighter vehicle. The impact of a crash is weaker because buses are heavier. This force is distributed differently along a bus. Buses have a body-on-frame design. This greatly differs from lighter vehicles, and provides impact protection not found elsewhere.
A bus’ interior also differs from a car. The use of closely spaced seats that have padded backs — a design called compartmentalization — creates an enclosed environment for passengers in the absence of seat belts.
Studies of Safety
Numerous studies examining the effectiveness of different belt types and seating arrangements came to the same conclusion: seatbelts on a bus have more drawbacks than advantages.
Neither lap nor lap-and-shoulder belts on a bus provide the same type of protection offered in a car. During a head-on collision, the most common type for belts, lap belts, increase the risk of injury. On impact, this type of restraint allows a passenger’s head to jerk forward, risking severe head and neck injury. Lap and shoulder belts would require the installation of stiffer seats. These seats could become a source of impact injury. Studies also showed that children slip downwards when restrained by lap and shoulder belts, risking injury to vulnerable internal organs.
In 1999, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) examined the effect of seat belt installation in buses. They came to the conclusion that seat belts actually would result in head injuries and fatalities. In fact, the NTSB found a relationship between most injuries/deaths and the seating position of the passenger. In these cases, the presence of seat belts would change nothing.
While there is no evidence proving that seat belts on buses save lives, there is reason to worry they may cause harm. During an emergency, seat belts could hinder young children from quickly exiting the bus; they simply could not free themselves. Drivers would be hard pressed to monitor belt usage for every student. And the heavy buckles could be used as weapons.
Studies by federal agencies, including the NTSB, have shown bus construction provides greater safety than seat belts ever could. Comparing the design of a school bus to a car is like comparing apples to oranges. Where belts protect passengers during car collisions, their presence may cause severe injuries on a bus. Seatbelts are only required on small buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds because their design more closely resembles a car. It is ironic, but the reality is that seat belts have no place on a school bus.
safety.com
Short and sweet:
In normal operation, planes have the potential to move up and down rapidly, which could toss you. Buses and trains don’t.
And you get to take your belt off in the plane when the ride is smooth. As far as protection in a crash, the only help is for the clean-up crew. A hunk of meat strapped to a piece of scrap metal. Makes you easier to find.