Students sprinting to the bus, after hearing the deafening buzz of the school bell in the hope of getting the desirable back seats. Once the students are all sat, the bus aunty comes through the aisle and suddenly, some students rush to put on their seatbelts while others need a reminder. But when there is no bus aunty spying on them, the seat belts become unbuckled and unclicked.
“There are many reasons why many people don’t wear seatbelts while riding,” says Rodney Mesriani, founder of the Mesriani Law Group which specializes in personal injury, employment and labor, social security and disability law. “First of all, drivers and passengers think that wearing a seatbelt is not that important, especially when driving in short distances or when the traffic is visibly light. Also, they tend to forget to wear them, especially when they are on the rush. Another reason why people don’t wear seatbelts is because wearing a seatbelt for them is very uncomfortable as it is too tight and wrinkles their clothes. But the reason why most teens don’t wear their seatbelt is because they say it’s not a “cool” thing to do.”
A recent survey of UWCSEA school bus, A31 shows that 9 out of 10 middle and high school students do not wear their seatbelts while on the bus. “I didn’t wear my seatbelt because I feel there is already the handrest protecting me from falling onto the floor and I’m not going to bang my head on the seat in front of me as I’m leaning back.” says Adhvay Krishnan, a 7th grade busrider. “Also, it makes my neck feel uncomfortable and I’ve heard that buses are designed so that seatbelts are unnecessary.” But when explained to him that even though buses were designed so that seatbelts aren’t needed, many students seriously injure themselves because of not wearing seatbelts. Responding to this, Adhvay says, “You know what another problem is? Half of these seatbelts don’t even work, see?” showing his broken seat belt.
Perhaps the people who are responsible for students not wearing seat belts may not necessarily be the students themselves but the transport department of UWCSEA allowing school buses with broken seat belts to transport students. For the immediate future, UWCSEA can start to check the school buses that are used currently for broken seat belts. Furthermore, students themselves should start to learn the dangers of not wearing their seat belt and make wearing their seat belts a habit. Sahil Parokkaran, a grade 8 students at UWCSEA Dover always wears his seatbelt when in a taxi and a bus says, “I always wear my seatbelt when using the taxi or the school bus as I’ve learnt the hard way. About a year ago, I was riding a cab when it crashed and I hit my head against the seat in front of me as I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. I could have been seriously injured if the driver was going a little faster.”
If you don’t want to learn to wear your seatbelt the hard way, the next time you travel, make sure your seatbelt is clicked. Simple.
“There are many reasons why many people don’t wear seatbelts while riding,” says Rodney Mesriani, founder of the Mesriani Law Group which specializes in personal injury, employment and labor, social security and disability law. “First of all, drivers and passengers think that wearing a seatbelt is not that important, especially when driving in short distances or when the traffic is visibly light. Also, they tend to forget to wear them, especially when they are on the rush. Another reason why people don’t wear seatbelts is because wearing a seatbelt for them is very uncomfortable as it is too tight and wrinkles their clothes. But the reason why most teens don’t wear their seatbelt is because they say it’s not a “cool” thing to do.”
A recent survey of UWCSEA school bus, A31 shows that 9 out of 10 middle and high school students do not wear their seatbelts while on the bus. “I didn’t wear my seatbelt because I feel there is already the handrest protecting me from falling onto the floor and I’m not going to bang my head on the seat in front of me as I’m leaning back.” says Adhvay Krishnan, a 7th grade busrider. “Also, it makes my neck feel uncomfortable and I’ve heard that buses are designed so that seatbelts are unnecessary.” But when explained to him that even though buses were designed so that seatbelts aren’t needed, many students seriously injure themselves because of not wearing seatbelts. Responding to this, Adhvay says, “You know what another problem is? Half of these seatbelts don’t even work, see?” showing his broken seat belt.
Perhaps the people who are responsible for students not wearing seat belts may not necessarily be the students themselves but the transport department of UWCSEA allowing school buses with broken seat belts to transport students. For the immediate future, UWCSEA can start to check the school buses that are used currently for broken seat belts. Furthermore, students themselves should start to learn the dangers of not wearing their seat belt and make wearing their seat belts a habit. Sahil Parokkaran, a grade 8 students at UWCSEA Dover always wears his seatbelt when in a taxi and a bus says, “I always wear my seatbelt when using the taxi or the school bus as I’ve learnt the hard way. About a year ago, I was riding a cab when it crashed and I hit my head against the seat in front of me as I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. I could have been seriously injured if the driver was going a little faster.”
If you don’t want to learn to wear your seatbelt the hard way, the next time you travel, make sure your seatbelt is clicked. Simple.
Written by Harit
I find this article so interesting because it really relates to everyone in the Junior, Middle and High School. There are always people who still, even with constant reminders to wear your seatbelt, don't wear the seatbelt. As Adhvay said, it is not entirely our fault that there are broken seat belts. However, if the seat belts do work, we should always think of the dangers of NOT wearing one.
ReplyDeleteI find this article really interesting and entertaining because,the way you show the facts helps us relate to the story. I do agree with this statement because I know people that have learnt the hard way by not putting on their seatbelts. Thank you for this article.
ReplyDeleteKeep telling the story with your heart,
8th grade student from Mexico