# Chains dragging under school bus: why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415 "2009-10-03T00:39:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Harrogate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Harrogate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Harrogate)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/1 "2009-10-03T00:39:06Z")
Driving behind a yellow schoolbus, I spied and heard chains dragging from the axle. There must be a reason for them. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/2 "2009-10-03T00:50:25Z")
Ground wires so an electric charge doesn’t build up? ---
**Author:** ![Harry1945](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Harry1945](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harry1945)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/3 "2009-10-03T01:57:43Z")
They’re called “on-spot” chains, and their purpose is to keep the wheels from spinning on snow/ice when the bus pulls away from a stop. They’re attached to an arm with a spinning head that can be deployed in front of the wheels when they’re needed, and moved away when they’re not. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/4 "2009-10-03T01:58:26Z")
They’re for students who misbehave on the bus. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/5 "2009-10-03T02:22:22Z")
In Soviet Russia, the gulag trains had chains at the end of the train with hooks on them, so if you managed to escape through the floor of a car the hooks would catch you and drag you to a horrible death. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/6 "2009-10-03T02:27:24Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > In Soviet Russia, the gulag trains had chains at the end of the train with hooks on them, so if you managed to escape through the floor of a car the hooks would catch you and drag you to a horrible death. Just sayin’. Worst Yakov Smirnoff joke, ever! ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/7 "2009-10-03T23:25:13Z")
I’ve always wondered what those were, but not enough to Google it. I was behind a school bus a few weeks ago with those, and it had a sticker that said “Automatic Tire Chains”. I still can’t figure how they work, even with the description above. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/8 "2009-10-03T23:30:48Z")
[http://www.onspot.com/](http://www.onspot.com/) They have a good video of how they work. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/9 "2009-10-03T23:37:10Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > [http://www.onspot.com/](http://www.onspot.com/) > They have a good video of how they work. That’s pretty slick. ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/10 "2009-10-03T23:47:51Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > That’s pretty slick. No, in fact it’s the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/11 "2009-10-03T23:49:59Z")
> [@Henrichek](#): > > No, in fact it’s the opposite. Zing! ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/12 "2009-10-03T23:52:03Z")
For the kids that don’t behave. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/13 "2009-10-04T00:18:56Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > For the kids that don’t behave. Confucious say, he who laughs last thinks slowest! ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/14 "2009-10-04T01:42:39Z")
So far, as I have driven a school bus and been behind my fair share as I cruise down the road, I have never seen those. I have seen a few recently with chains dangling below across the rear axle, but those are just for preventing kicked up debris from hitting the car behind, especially since they don’t seem to keep mudflaps on buses around here. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/15 "2009-10-04T01:51:28Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > Ground wires so an electric charge doesn’t build up? I’ve seen those on cars. Particularly in soviet russia now that we mention it… What do they do again? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/16 "2009-10-04T18:02:37Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > For the kids that don’t behave. See, I almost posted this, but then I read the thread and realized someone else had already made the same joke. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/17 "2009-10-04T18:18:39Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > In Soviet Russia, the gulag trains had chains at the end of the train with hooks on them, so if you managed to escape through the floor of a car the hooks would catch you and drag you to a horrible death. Just sayin’. I recently read Child 44 which had that in it. Can’t quite remember the specifics of what happened to the characters though. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/18 "2009-10-04T18:57:19Z")
That’s where I got it from. They escaped the train by throwing a guard’s body out first and letting it get caught up in the hooks. I think he got caught by one of them, though, and tore free. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/19 "2009-10-05T01:37:42Z")
Maybe it was a school bus with highly flammable children and they need them to prevent explosions from static electricity. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415/20 "2009-10-05T01:42:06Z")
I find it pretty hard to believe that chains dragging behind a train, with hooks on the ends of them, would not get snagged on something and pulled off of the train in very short order once it was in motion. This sounds scary but I think it was probably the invention of the author; I can’t find any references to this actually happening in real life. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chains-dragging-under-school-bus-why/512415.md?page=2)