In March of 1987 the National Transportation Safety Board released the results of a two and one-half year study which was conducted to determine how well large school buses built to the 1977 compartmentalization standards protected passengers during a severe crash and whether seat belts had the potential to reduce school bus passenger injuries.

The Safety Board studied 43 school bus accidents, which occurred between August 1983 and March 1986.  During the 29 months of the study the Board investigated every accident involving a large post standard FMVSS 222 school bus that resulted in a fatality (6 of the 43 crashes).  Most, if not all of the crashes resulted in both serious and moderate injuries.

The Safety Board concluded that "school bus occupant deaths and the serious or worse injuries sustained by survivors were for the most part attributable to the occupants seating position being in direct line with the crash forces.  It is unlikely that the availability of any type of restraint would have improved the injury outcome."