We always buckle up when traveling by car, bus or plane, but you won’t find seat belts on trains — not even on the high-speed bullet trains in Japan. Given that seat belts are required on so many modes of transportation, it’s strange that they aren’t even an option on trains. So why don't trains have seat belts? The basic answer is that trains don’t need seat belts because train accidents are rare. According to the Federal Railway Association, there were a total of 2,261 highway-rail incidents at public and private crossings in 2024, resulting in 262 fatalities. Compare that with the Department of Transportation’s report of 39,345 car accidents. Unlike cars, buses and planes, trains have the advantage of operating in a controlled environment — a track with professional operators. The environment is so safe that the risk has been considered reasonable without the inconvenience of seat belts. In addition, the crash force on a train is generally lower, so it doesn’t necessitate the same type of restraint systems. According to the Rail Passengers Association, traveling by train is 17 times safer than traveling by car. Regulators have simply not deemed the risks of train travel to be high enough to mandate seat belts.
