Because if there is an accident it would take way too long for the one adult that is normally on the bus to get everyone out.

I have read the other responses to this question. each response was excellent, but no one seem to give the real reason school buses do not have seat belts. its called money. to equip every school bus, in america with seat belts, would be a staggering figure. some local governments could not afford the seat belts, even if the federal government paid 50% of the cost. what price can you place on the life of a child?

It's not cost effective to protect peoples' lives until they become taxpayers.

My previous answer was the cost involved, meaning this.........the government alway seems to pay more for everything. remember the 1.80 hammers that cost the government 80.00 each? same applies to the purchase and installing seat belts. this was my point. if one seat belt cost you and i, say, 45.00, the government will pay 300.00 for each. it happens all the time. end

I live in the UK and many school buses do have seatbelts. I have the misfortune of travelling to work on one of them. Hoever, I rarely see anyone (adult or child) actually using them. The few occasions I have seen kids use them, they were teased mercilessly by other children. (Yeh, that's what I thought, but kids are weird) So maybe that's why authorities in other countries aren't prepared to spend the money on something that is unlikely to be used consistently. Just a theory.

I am from Ireland and my school bus has seat belts. From september 2006 it will be the law that every school bus will have to have seat belts.

yes they should and if they use them in any other manner other than seatbelts or they don't use them don't let them ride the bus. have the parents help control there kids.

you say they would not wear them they would or they would not ride

They do in some states, in NY State every school bus has to have seat belts, however kids do not have to wear them unless the district or county the school is in designates they have to be worn, in NYC and two or three other locals in NY they have to be worn. The reason is there has not been proof whether it is safer for kids to wear belts or not in the event of a major accident. The fact that wearing seat belts would make the job easier for school bus drivers is not taken into the mix when making this decisian.

They do here in the UK.
Whether or not the litte darlings use them is another matter.