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I live in Australia (a country where wearing a seatbelt is instilled in us pretty much since birth, with very harsh penalties for non-compliance) however seatbe

I live in Australia (a country where wearing a seatbelt is instilled in us pretty much since birth, with very harsh penalties for non-compliance) however seatbelts are relatively non-existent in buses, and I have this vague memory that there was a reason for this?

sokka_h2otribe 3y ago
High mass, they don't slow down quickly. There are a few papers out there. There are very few things that can decelerate the mass of a buss quickly
bhattid 3y ago
The primary reason (as far as I'm aware) is because buses are (relatively) more massive and structurally different from cars, so they exhibit different collision physics in the event of a crash. In the event of a crash, the greater mass means any forces can distribute across a greater load and lead to less acceleration for those inside. I think there are more details related to types of crashes (e.g. head-on vs on the side) that are taken into account through a bus's structure and how it's internally designed too, but I'm less familiar with how and why it works.
PhasmaFelis 3y ago
My understanding is that buses generally reach lower speeds and, because of their mass, a collision is less likely to produce the kind of abrupt stop that throws people through windshields. If a typical car collides head-on with a bus at speed, the car will be thrown back and its occupants whipped around; the bus will keep moving forward with an unpleasant but not devastating jolt. There are exceptions, I'm sure.
- djmips 3y ago
  Exception https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Broncos_bus_crash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Broncos_bus_crash
  - Symbiote 3y ago
    That is a "coach bus" (as Canada presumably calls it, a long distance bus or coach). Those do reach highway speeds etc, and at least in most of Europe they are fitted with seatbelts. I note the article says some parents campaigned for seat belts on buses transporting sports teams, so presumably this bus didn't have them.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
taneq 3y ago
I think the only explanation I've heard for this is that seatbelts are too expensive to put on every seat in a bus. Interestingly, on mine sites the buses all have seatbelts and you're firmly instructed to put them on every time the bus starts moving.

sokka_h2otribe 3y ago

High mass, they don't slow down quickly. There are a few papers out there. There are very few things that can decelerate the mass of a buss quickly

bhattid 3y ago

The primary reason (as far as I'm aware) is because buses are (relatively) more massive and structurally different from cars, so they exhibit different collision physics in the event of a crash. In the event of a crash, the greater mass means any forces can distribute across a greater load and lead to less acceleration for those inside. I think there are more details related to types of crashes (e.g. head-on vs on the side) that are taken into account through a bus's structure and how it's internally designed too, but I'm less familiar with how and why it works.

PhasmaFelis 3y ago

My understanding is that buses generally reach lower speeds and, because of their mass, a collision is less likely to produce the kind of abrupt stop that throws people through windshields. If a typical car collides head-on with a bus at speed, the car will be thrown back and its occupants whipped around; the bus will keep moving forward with an unpleasant but not devastating jolt. There are exceptions, I'm sure.

djmips 3y ago
Exception https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Broncos_bus_crash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_Broncos_bus_crash
- Symbiote 3y ago
  That is a "coach bus" (as Canada presumably calls it, a long distance bus or coach). Those do reach highway speeds etc, and at least in most of Europe they are fitted with seatbelts. I note the article says some parents campaigned for seat belts on buses transporting sports teams, so presumably this bus didn't have them.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

taneq 3y ago

I think the only explanation I've heard for this is that seatbelts are too expensive to put on every seat in a bus. Interestingly, on mine sites the buses all have seatbelts and you're firmly instructed to put them on every time the bus starts moving.