Booster seat on coach for reception school trip?

[Maybeitsok]

My just turned 5 year old is going on a school trip soon via busy dual carriageway to another city, journey time approx 45 min each way. They are still in a rear facing car seat with me, which is all they know, and how they will continue until they outgrow it at 36kg or 125cm tall. They’re currently only 16kg and 107cm!

Anyway, I was reluctant to let them go on the coach but have decided to do so but with a booster seat, so I’ve bought a carry on portable one that’ll be easy enough to use.

Thing is, they’ve asked if it’s just them that’ll have this kind of seat, and it probably will be, since people aren’t that clued up on car seat safety it seems.

Has anyone else sent their 4/5 year old with a booster before? I’m fearful they’ll be ridiculed but then again not sure considering their age. Safety first in my opinion, but want them
happy too.

A coach is completely different to a car. What do you do on local buses and trains?

Local buses aren’t driving on busy dual carriageways, and we rarely use them anyway

They will probably be the only one. But so what?

Mine take booster seats on school trips and yes, they're often the only ones.

I don't care that it's not legally required.

I also once refused to allow my child on a trip where there was only lap belts on the coach.

Do you actually have any statistics to back up your concerns about your child travelling on a coach using just the seatbelt? Children being injured on coaches involved in accidents, where the injuries could have been avoided/reduced had they been in a child seat?
Lots of children travel on coaches every day back and forth to school, and many more go on occasional trips.

My 5yo just went on his first trip with school a couple of weeks ago. They went in a big coach and I didn't send a booster with him. He is still RF in my car and RFd in the childminders car until 4.5.

A coach is a much higher mass than a car so will have much lower decelerations than a car. That's why there are no seat belts on buses and you can stand on a moving bus.

Yabvu. You think you have some secret inside knowledge about vehicle safety but all your blog-garnered knowledge is only valid for cars, not coaches and buses.

Did you have any concerns? If not, why?

Curious to hear since you also rear faced beyond the “legal” requirement so are clearly aware of the risks

I haven’t but sounds like it’s easy enough to organise and it would just be able to stay on the coach till they come back again.
on SEN minibus transport they have them.

What on earth? I don’t think I have any “secret safety knowledge” 😂

It’s common sense.

Statistically, the likelihood of the coach being involved in an incident where the passenger restraints become relevant is much lower than for a car.

So the risk of the child coming to serious harm in a coach seatbelt vs RF in a car for the same journey is probably comparable, rather than the coach risk being higher (which is what you’d first assume).

In a world of managing single risk factors, you’d say slam dunk, correctly fitted car seat in coach is better than just seat belt in coach. So you’d go car seat. But then you look at the wider child health and well-being factor. Being the odd one out can be really difficult for some children. So now you don’t get the safety improvement for ‘free’. You’re trading something for it. Some children really enjoy being different and special, in that case it’s a different trade off.

This is my thinking. It’s tough. i didn’t expect tben to ask if anyone else would be sitting in one, but as soon as they did I started second guessing things.

It's actually not common sense to behave in the way you are - you are taking safety information that applies to car travel and applying it to a completely different mode of transport.
Sitting on a coach passengers sit considerably higher up that those travelling in the vehicles around them so if the vehicle was impacted in a collision everything behaves differently.
It may even be that your child is actually safer on the coach NOT in a car seat, than in your car, with one.
But you don't want hear any of this I suspect.

You mentioned just in your last post about taking measures that exceed legal guidance because you are "aware of the risks". But I'm pointing out that I don't think you do understand the science of how momentum is transferred in collisions.

How do you regard people sitting without seat belts on buses, or even standing on buses? Do you think people are being recklessly endangered, or do you understand why the decelerations are lower? A coach is often even higher mass than a bus.

I was shocked when recently my tall year 2 child went on a trip
and came home with a red line from the seatbelt across his face and neck where it hadn’t fitted properly and had rubbed . It wouldn’t have been safe in an accident at all

Correct. I am fully aware of the risks associated with front facing children too soon, perhaps you are not?

The UK is terrible for it.

axkid.com/uk/child-safety-report-2025/

Studies have been done and children are safer on all modes of transport, including aeroplanes in a rear facing car seat. They've done the tests in a range of different vehicles and in different scenarios (head on collision, side impact etc). If they can't use a rear facing car seat then they are safer on a forward facing one, rather than no car seat at all. And least safe is standing.

OP is not being unreasonable and the evidence is there to support carseat use in all vehicles. It's not legally required, but legal minimum standards aren't the aim.

Actually at this size I think you're perfectly reasonable to request a car seat in the coach.

Can you point out where I ever said a coach was as dangerous as a car?

I am fully aware it is not as dangerous, but it also not “safe”

I think most people are very aware of the different seats etc now, most kids I know extended rear face etc.

How big is your child? Unless very small for their age I probably wouldn't

Great idea. Just say that other children have different rules, but our rules are that if you want to go on the coach with your friends then we use the booster seat. Otherwise you will drive him. Plus it means a better view out the window.

Don't be that parent.

There's a reason there are no seat belts on buses because they're an awful lot more difficult to flip than a car. You're so much better protected in a massive vehicle.

Yes, the risk is different in a coach Vs bus Vs train etc. and are lower but it can be reduced further by proper use of an appropriate restraint. Most decent car seats are tested and rated for various vehicles.

All parents, all people have things they care about more than others (screen time, home work, sugar intake etc) and this happens to be the OPs.

But there are seat belts, which will be used. Badly, as the kids are too small.

This is clearly a big deal for you and you have no problem making a name for yourself with the school ( personally I’d be mortified to question the staff over safety like this )

not really sure why you are asking as you are clearly going ahead with your plan and have made your mind you are being reasonable

But you have no understanding of how larger vehicles behave in collisions.

You still haven't answered - why do you think public buses aren't fitted with seat belts, and you're allowed to stand on them? But in a car, travelling at similar speeds, you must wear a seat belt? I'm trying to help you.