http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/7809871/Why-pregnant-women-cant-get-a-seat-on-the-bus.html

Why pregnant women can’t get a seat on the bus

Pregnant women are being left standing on public transport because commuters are too afraid to offer their seat in case they are simply overweight, researchers claim.

By Nick Collins

Published: 7:30AM BST 08 Jun 2010

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The majority of expectant mothers cannot find a seat on buses and trains because their fellow passengers cannot distinguish between a pregnant woman’s bump and the figure of an obese woman, it was claimed.

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May I suggest that standees are, in an accident, both at risk and a risk to other passengers?

When I visited London (a long time ago) on a mixed business pleasure trip, saw two buses accidents in a week. A lot of ambulances and police at both scenes. No idea of the casualties if any. (In NYC, bus accidents magically attract additional passengers seeking a payoff. I assume similar happens there. And, everyone is “hurt”?)

So shouldn’t it be required that ALL passengers have a seat? You might even require all to belt in.

“My” commuter bus company between NYC and a NJ suburb REQUIRES every passenger to have and take a seat. Otherwise, the driver is instructed not to move the bus. Granted that this route travels on a “high speed” route. (What you’d call a motorway, we call a limited access expressway. Or turnpike. Or parkway. A rose is a rose is a rose.)

In an accident, even at low speeds, a body in motion tends to remain in motion. A body (i.e., standee) motions until it’s stopped by something (i.e., windshields, seats, other passengers). Hard to imagine a worse scenario for a standee?

So perhaps, instead of worrying about pregnant standees, you should be worried about ALL standees. If everyone has to take a seat, then by definition we’ve “solved” the “pregnant standee” problem. Of course, it may require more and better hardware, but that’s a different problem.

I never understood the Japanese Rail passengers crammed in like sardines. What happens in an accident with them?

Nope everyone should take a seat, and hold on for dear life. It might make commuting a lot less stressful.

Just a suggestion from across the pond.

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