Argumentative Essay On Seatbelts

839 Words2 Pages

The use of seat belts on buses is greatly being discussed throughout the states after multiple bus crashes over the years have left several children and adults dead or severely injured. A few states like New York have already taken the first step and “require the use of lap seat belts” on school buses (Johnston). School buses are not the only type of buses that need belts. One March in New York “15 passengers were killed and 18 injured on a trip home from a casino” (“Buckle Up on Buses”). Those passengers were traveling on a curbside bus which is an inner-city transportation bus. If these passengers pay to ride the bus shouldn’t they be protected? Although equipping every bus with seat belts is expensive, it has proven to be safer than no belts …show more content…

Even though states such as New York and New Jersey “requires the use of lap belts,” studies have proven that the use of just lap belts is less secure and causes greater injuries than wearing both a lap and shoulder belt (Johnston). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted several crash test with test dummies. According to the results the “students who were harnessed by only a lap belt” received greater injuries because of a “jackknife effect” (Seaman). The jackknife effect causes the passenger to bend or double over like a jackknife. Therefore, the studies found that a “combination [of] lap-and-shoulder system seemed to work best in the crash tests” (Seaman). They have tested the use of just lap belts; they have tested the use of not wearing a belt at all; they have tested the use of both lap and shoulder belts. They proved that lap belts hurt the test dummy more; they proved that not wearing a belt caused the dummy to impact the seat ahead of them; they proved that a combination of both lap and shoulder belts keep the student harnessed to the seat. These tests prove that lap belts or no belts are not enough. Both lap and shoulder belts need to be a requirement for all

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