TAIWAN — Seat belts on trains can cause more harm than good because the train's massive momentum makes it harder to decelerate, increasing the risk of impact injuries, according to experts.

Lap seat belts may cause spinal injuries as passengers' necks thrust forward during a crash, according to The New York Times.

Trains could use lap and shoulder seat belts, which offer more protection.

However these seat belts could also injure passengers who get thrown from their seats upon impact.

Installing seat belts on all trains would also be very expensive for train authorities.

A Puyuma express train crashed in Taiwan on October 21, with 18 people being killed and 190 people injured, to the Central New Agency reported.