Why is it difficult to correctly secure a child safety restraint system in a school bus equipped with the passenger restraint systems?
• Number of passenger restraint systems per seat – when three sets of passenger restraint systems are installed on a school bus seat, the anchorage points are often narrower than the child’s safety restraint system base. This makes it very difficult to properly secure a child safety restraint system. • Emergency locking retractor (ELR) – this type of retractor locks only in a sudden stop, turn or crash. This retractor type, along with one of the two non-locking latch-plates cannot secure a CR pre-crash without the use of a locking clip. • Adequate space between seats – NHTSA recommends that the seat spacing be placed at the maximum allowable under FMVSS 222. Some types of car seats are too large to fit within the confines of FMVSS 222.
