Nope, wouldn't bother me. But I also let my 12-year-old ride in the front seat of my car. So I am not risk-averse.

11:21, where do you fall in the seat belt issue? Do you think kids would be safer with them on a bus/highway in the event of an accident?

Former Valley Mill counselor and bus driver here. We were required to obtain a CDL license, which required extensive practice beforehand.

The CDL test had three components: Written test (additional rules of the road/practices beyond ordinary passenger vehicle knowledge), mechanical test (pointing out various things under the hood and under the bus), and road test (parallel parking on both sides of the street, backing into a space from a perpendicular angle, plus the usual 3-pt turn, etc.). You learn your vehicle's dimensions and how to use your side mirrors like never before. I let the CDL certification lapse, but it definitely made me a better and safer driver. (And was a great talking point in bars when off-duty.)

Busses should absolutely have seat belts. It would be expensive so its not done. Again, have you even seen a bus where the driver didn't have a set belt? Shouldn't your kid have one too? Here's a report from the Today show I saw recently. We live in the city and walk to school but I am a total prude when it comes to camps and busses on the highway. No seat belts, no go for my kids.

http://www.today.com/video/rossen-reports-why-dont-most-school-buses-have-seat-belts-522873923682

I'd check which regulations apply in your state to drive the specific bus they'll be using.

In some places, those who drive the small buses and 15 passenger vans are not required to have a CDL.

One of the reasons why the 15 passenger vans always seem to wreck is because it's just a normal driver behind the wheel. Usually someone who has zero experience driving anything larger than an SUV, let alone a weighted down longer vehicle.

I wouldn't let DS go to an after school karate program because the bus they used to pick up the kids was small and the driver wasn't required anything more than a license.

Statically, school buses are very safe. The only seatbelts they could have on a school bus would be lap belts, due to different child heights and the shoulder strap against the neck predicament. Even in a wreck, a lap belt isn't going to do much.

OP, do you not ever ride city buses with your kids? This question comes up from time to time and it always baffles me. We ride the city bus daily. Sometimes we even stand! My kid is in first grade and we've been doing this since pre-K.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it supposedly safer not to have seatbelts on busses? I always assumed it was a union issue and the schools didn't want to go through the hassle of providing them so most schools don't have them. I'd love to know why it's supposedly safe . . . there is usually a bar in the seat directly in front of the passenger. Flying kids is dangerous.

There are several reasons. They don't help as much as they would in a car. They only help in limited situations.

Buses are higher and safer and built to create compartmentalize kids. Like car seats compartmentalise infants. Not exactly the same but same idea.

Drivers cannot ensure kids buckle and stay buckled. Drivers also cannot ensure the kids arent using the heavy metal buckles as weapons.


Smaller buses under 10,000 pounds are required to have them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I would be more concerned with are the drivers.

YMCA, Calleva, Valley Mill, Barrie etc.

What are the certifications for bus drivers?

They have a commercial driver's license. See certification process here for Maryland: http://www.mva.maryland.gov/drivers/apply/cdl/commercial.htm

Not true for the smaller busses that most schools use. Anyone with a regular drivers' license can drive them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have thought about this too OP
DD is only 5 and going to camp sonshine this year. They dont do field trips at this age but they do as they get older. The thought of a group of them all on one of those blue buses when I know nothing about the driver freaks me out a little bit. Not sure what I will do when she gets to that age.

You're sending your kid to Camp Sonshine and you're worried about seatbelts? Hmmm.

this is the pp. I came on here a while ago and asked about camp sonshine and got nothing but good reviews. This will
let be our first year. Do you have a differing opinion?

New poster here. Camp Sonshine typically gets excellent reviews. I believe the PP may be referring to the sad case in which a 13-year-old drowned while on a Camp Sonshine field trip in 2014: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/teen-from-silver-spring-camp-drowns-in-park-lake-north-of-baltimore/2014/08/08/2ad8ffb2-1f36-11e4-82f9-2cd6fa8da5c4_story.html?utm_term=.064ed770eb00

Why is it supposedly safer not to have seatbelts on busses? I always assumed it was a union issue and the schools didn't want to go through the hassle of providing them so most schools don't have them. I'd love to know why it's supposedly safe . . . there is usually a bar in the seat directly in front of the passenger. Flying kids is dangerous.

Anonymous wrote:To the very rude poster (so unnecessary) -- I'm asking b/c most school buses don't go on highways for close to an hour (at least not around here) and school buses are built differently than the smaller buses.

I would not send my 5 year old on a bus an hour away. They are not used to being on the bus that long and most get antsy after 10-15 minutes (from what I see on field trips).

To the very rude poster (so unnecessary) -- I'm asking b/c most school buses don't go on highways for close to an hour (at least not around here) and school buses are built differently than the smaller buses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have thought about this too OP
DD is only 5 and going to camp sonshine this year. They dont do field trips at this age but they do as they get older. The thought of a group of them all on one of those blue buses when I know nothing about the driver freaks me out a little bit. Not sure what I will do when she gets to that age.

You're sending your kid to Camp Sonshine and you're worried about seatbelts? Hmmm.

this is the pp. I came on here a while ago and asked about camp sonshine and got nothing but good reviews. This will
let be our first year. Do you have a differing opinion?

Are you slow, OP? You do realize that children have been riding buses to school EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY for the last few decades without seat belts, right? Should they charter special buses for this summer camp just so that your little snowflake can have a seat belt?

Anonymous wrote:I have thought about this too OP
DD is only 5 and going to camp sonshine this year. They dont do field trips at this age but they do as they get older. The thought of a group of them all on one of those blue buses when I know nothing about the driver freaks me out a little bit. Not sure what I will do when she gets to that age.

You're sending your kid to Camp Sonshine and you're worried about seatbelts? Hmmm.