why don't school buses have seatbelts

School buses typically don't have seat belts because of a combination of safety design, cost, and practicality factors. The main safety feature that school buses rely on is called "compartmentalization," where seats are closely spaced with high, padded backs to absorb impact and protect passengers in crashes. This design keeps children contained and safe without needing seat belts for most types of accidents. Additionally, school buses are large, heavy vehicles that travel at regulated, often lower speeds than regular cars, making severe accidents less likely. School bus drivers also undergo rigorous training to ensure safety. The cost of adding seat belts to buses is high, potentially raising the price by $7,000 to $10,000 per bus, and there is debate about whether children would reliably use them correctly. Federal law currently does not require seat belts on large school buses in the U.S.; the decision is left to individual states, with only a few mandating seat belts on school buses. Although seat belts could help in rollover or side crashes, the overall safety record and protection offered by compartmentalization have so far made seat belts unnecessary as a requirement on most buses.