I’m currently on a very crowded bus with many people standing up, even though we are on highways. Why can I stand unsecured while on the bus? Is it a matter of being able to safely get people out in an emergency? Thanks!
edit: I’m in Canada 🇨🇦
In: Other
ELI5: buses are significantly safer than cars due to their size and the addition of padded seats that surround passengers. Some states do require buses to have seatbelts, but the amount of additional safety this provides is minimal.
https://www.trantololaw.com/law-firm-blog/personal-injury/buses-have-seat-belts/
TLDR: this quote explains it pretty succinctly.
“Buckling our seat belts in cars – which weigh much less than 10,000 pounds – reduces fatality risk by 45 percent. For light trucks, seat belts reduce this risk by 60 percent. In both passenger vehicles, chance of moderate to critical injury is also reduced by 50 – 65 percent.
According to the National Safety Council, buses are 40 times safer than the average family car. Passenger vehicles sit low to the ground and cannot absorb the impact of another vehicle as effectively as a school bus.
In the event of a car crash, a child could be killed by the airbag or ejection through the windshield. On a school bus, the seats are cushioned and placed close together – a technique school bus designers call “compartmentalization” – to absorb crash impact.”
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