There are two types of seat belts equipped on school buses, lap belts and three-point belts. Lap belts are anchored at two points across riders' thighs/hips, while three-point belts go over the shoulder as well as the lap and use one length of material.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) doesn't currently require seat belts on large school buses, which represent more than 80% of those serving U.S. schoolchildren. Some states and school districts have passed regulations requiring stricter standards. As of 2009, California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Texas required belts on all school buses, with vary levels of stringency depending on the state. While groups such as the National Coalition for School Bus Safety have advocated for regulations mandating seat belts in school buses, budgetary restrictions and concerns over their proper use have stymied universal adoption of such requirements. The NHTSA requires that small buses, or those weighing less than 10,000 pounds, have three-point belts.
Most commercial flights use lap seat belts with clasp fasteners in the middle, although some seats may be equipped with belts with shoulder harnesses. Children between 22 to 44 pounds are also permitted to use a harness-type child restraint system (CRS) on commercial flights. The FAA requires the seats in all small airplanes manufactured since December 12, 1986 to have seat belts with shoulder harnesses. There are two primary types of seat belts with harnesses used in small planes: belts with a diagonal harness similar to three-point belts used in cars and buses, and belts with dual harnesses over each shoulder.
The FAA requires all passengers on all flights to be seated with their seat belts fastened while the plane is leaving the gate and taking off, while the plane is landing and taxiing, and whenever the seat belt light is lit during flight. Pilots always recommend to passengers that they keep their belts on anytime while seated, in case unforeseen turbulence occurs.
