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22/08/2007

Could having seatbelts on trains increase passenger injury claims?

Concern that any future moves to have seatbelts fitted in trains could have a negative impact of rail-user safety has been supported by research which has concluded that carrying forward such a change to public transport could lead to an increase in passenger injury claims.

Wearing a seatbelt in a car is necessary by law and the safety device has even been introduced on school busses to minimise risk to children but it seems that getting belted on a train might not be so simple.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has suggested that three point lap and diagonal belts would reduce passenger injuries to those restrained by them.

On the other hand, it has been put forward that the seatbelts would inadvertently increase the risk of personal injury to unrestrained passengers greatly as seats on the train would have to be significantly stiffened to accommodate them.

Despite having little hope for the protection that seatbelts on trains can offer, the body is advocating the installation of laminated windows instead. They are arguing that laminated glass will provide "significantly better passenger containment protection in accidents than toughened glass."

The rescue services have supported this bid by stating that the new windows would not prevent then from recovering casualties trapped in a train after a train accident. However, a decision on which route of passenger safety the RSSB will take is still to be decided.

While travelling via public transport is still safer than being a passenger in a car, since the number of car accidents in the UK far outweighs the number of train and bus accidents, improved passenger safety onboard trains would be a weight of commuters' minds. Many travel many miles everyday by rail and any attempt to lessen passenger injury claims has got to be a positive move.