Consider the school bus. It could be painted literally
any color: pink, bright green, orange, or even zebra-print. I like zebra print!
So, why pick yellow? Is it because it’s a cheerful hue that makes kids happy to
go to school? See the kid’s faces? I don’t think so. The main reason for
picking yellow paint for school buses is... safety! But first, let's figure out
whether yellow school buses in the US are indeed that - yellow. If you look at
the color closely, you'll notice that instead of being pure yellow, it's a totally
different shade! I would say that it's a curious mixture of lemon-yellow and
orange, which reminds me of...a very ripe mango? (Sorry, I’m hungry!) In any
case, if you want to be extra precise, you should politely refer to the color
of American and Canadian school buses as "National School Bus Glossy
Yellow." But wait! What about the scientifically proved fact that red is
the one with the maximum wavelength? Um, what I mean is that it doesn't get
scattered easily, and that's why you can clearly see it from afar!
On top of
that, most people associate this color with caution. So, why not paint school
buses red? well, despite all the scientific stuff, it’s not red, but yellow,
which is the color that instantly grabs your attention in daily life. In other
words, for some inexplicable reasons, yellow is the most visible color. On top
of that, it has a kind of "illuminating" nature, which makes it stand
out in the darkness, fog, or dim light. Now, lots of school buses must
transport children to school early in the morning. Depending on the season,
it's often still dark outside at this time. That's why it makes sense to use
yellow paint, which will make buses more noticeable on the road. What's more,
the black lettering on the yellow background is a perfect color combination. It
immediately alerts drivers that they’re approaching a school bus during
twilight hours. And finally, there’s one more crucial reason for this specific
school bus color choice. You've probably heard of peripheral vision? That's
when you see something out of the corner of your eye, without looking directly
at it. So, scientists state that you're 1.24 times more likely to spot a yellow
object with your peripheral vision than the same object painted red! These are
the reasons why you can't legally have a non-yellow school bus in the US these days.
But it wasn't always like this! The "National School Bus Glossy
Yellow" color didn’t appear until 1939; before that, school buses were
painted all kinds of colors. And before there were buses, kids were taken to
school in special wagons drawn by horses. That sounds like fun – let’s bring
that back! Curiously, the very first so-called "school bus" appeared
in London in 1827, and it could carry 25 children. Anyway, returning to 1939
and the newly accepted bus shade, it was called "National School Bus
Chrome." But there was something seriously wrong with this
"chrome" color scheme: school bus chrome contained lead in its
pigment. And this element was (and still is, for that matter) extremely
dangerous for people, especially young children. That's why it was soon
replaced with the paint manufacturers still use today. But let’s be honest
here if it wasn't for safety reasons, what color would you paint school buses?
Write about your choice in the comment section below and tell me why! But
here’s another thing about school buses that might seem confusing. Look, in all
American states, as well as in most countries around the world, you must wear a
seat belt when you're in the car. And it doesn't matter whether you're a driver
or a passenger. Plus, babies, toddlers, and young children have to stay in
special car seats, fastened with seat belts.
This way, if you get in a car
accident while wearing a seat belt, it could save your life, or keep injuries
to a minimum! Then why on Earth aren't school buses equipped with seat belts? However
paradoxical it may sound, seat belts simply won't make school buses safer! The
thing is that traveling on a school bus is 40 times safer than going
somewhere by car. Some experts even go as far as to say that school buses are
the safest type of transport ever! How come? It's all thanks to
compartmentalization! Yeah, that’s a big word. What I mean is that the seats on
a school bus are situated close to each other, and they have high padded backs.
As a result, if an accident does happen, and a student gets propelled forward,
they’ll only move a short distance. And the seatback in front of them will also
kinda play the role of an airbag. Plus, on school buses, people sit high over
the ground, which only adds to the overall safety. If another vehicle collides
with a school bus, all the impact will occur under the seats. But I would be
lying if I didn't mention another, more practical reason for the lack of seat belts
on school buses. Money. M-O-N-E-Y. Moolah. Adding seat belts would increase the
cost of each bus by $8,000 to $15,000! Plus, buses would have fewer seats
because seat belts would take additional space. As a result, schools would have
to increase the fleet of their buses by approximately 15%. However, a bigger
number of vehicles would still carry the same number of kids! And here’s where
it would start to get out of control: the changes would mean more gas, more
drivers, and more CO2 emissions! Uh-oh! Anyway, these days, the scheme is the
following. If a school bus weighs more than 10,000 pounds, it's up to the
states to decide whether the vehicles need to be equipped with seat belts or
not. Today, only six states make schools equip their buses with seat belts, and
they are Florida, California, New Jersey, Texas, New York, and Louisiana. But
if a school bus is lighter than 10,000 pounds, it has to be equipped with seat
belts in any state. By the way, the other day, I was driving behind a school
bus and noticed something I’d never seen before. Under the belly of the bus,
some chains were hanging, and even slightly dragging, over the ground. Of
course, as soon as I returned home, I started a full-on google search. And I've
found out that not all school buses have these chains, because, honestly, you won't
need them in, let's say, California.
The thing is that the chains help school
buses get traction on icy roads. The chains are linked to the suspension system
of the bus. If the driver realizes that they can't cope without some additional
help, they can just press a button on the dashboard. It releases tiny rubber
chain wheels which are located next to the bus's back tires. Then, when the bus
accelerates, these chain wheels spin and throw the chain links under the tires.
Voila! Slowly but surely, the bus is going forward again! At the same time,
when the bus isn't moving or is slowing down, the driver can retract the
chains. Also, have you ever seen a school bus with a black hood and wondered
why it wasn't the same yellow as the body? The thing is that when the sun is
too bright, the glossy, bright yellow paint covering the hood of the bus starts
to give off too much glare. As a result, it makes it hard for the driver to see
their surroundings and distracts them from the situation on the road. That's
when the flat black painted hood comes into play. It significantly cuts down on
the glare and allows the driver to see clearly. And while some states make
school bus manufacturers equip vehicles with black hoods, others forbid it. In
this case, they get covered with an anti-glare substance. After that, the hood
remains yellow, but the shade gets called "lusterless yellow." And
finally, to quote the rock band the Who: “every day I get in the queue, to get
on the bus that takes me to you…too much, Magic Bus.” Well, I like it…
SUMMARY: - Despite all the scientific stuff, it’s not red, but yellow, which is the color that instantly grabs your attention in daily life. - Depending on the season, it's often still dark outside at this time. That's why it makes sense to use yellow paint, which will make buses more noticeable on the road. - Scientists state that you're 1.24 times more likely to spot a yellow object with your peripheral vision than the same object painted red! - But it wasn't always like this! The "National School Bus Glossy Yellow" color didn’t appear until 1939; before that, school buses were painted all kinds of colors. - Seat belts simply won't make school buses safer! The thing is that traveling on a school bus is 40 times safer than going somewhere by car. - The seats on a school bus are situated close to each other, and they have high padded backs. As a result, if an accident does happen, and a student gets propelled forward, they’ll only move a short distance. - Adding seat belts would increase the cost of each bus by $8,000 to $15,000! Plus, buses would have fewer seats because seat belts would take additional space. - If a school bus weighs more than 10,000 pounds, it's up to the states to decide whether the vehicles need to be equipped with seat belts or not. - The chains help school buses get traction on icy roads. If the driver realizes that they can't cope without some additional help, they can just press a button on the dashboard. - When the sun is too bright, the glossy, bright yellow paint covering the hood of the bus starts to give off too much glare. As a result, it makes it hard for the driver to see their surroundings and distracts them from the situation on the road. - And while some states make school bus manufacturers equip vehicles with black hoods, others forbid it. In this case, they get covered with an anti-glare substance.
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