A rash of tour bus accidents, including two this month that killed 17 people, has prompted a new drive for legislation toughening intercity bus-safety standards.
As The Washington Post reports, a push to require seat belts, strengthen roofs and windows, and install stabilization devices for intercity buses is being revived in Congress and is likely to translate into new legislative proposals this spring. Since fatalities on buses often stem from rollovers and passenger ejections, the proposed modifications, which long have been advocated by federal regulators, would address the core of the danger. Additionally, drivers would be forced to undergo safety reviews.
A similar proposal gained widespread support in the Senate last year but Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., blocked the bill with a legislative hold. That prompted consumer advocate Ralph Nader to label him “a tyranny of one.”
But the recent bus crashes, along with the ongoing problems with cheap fare tour bus operators, have given safety efforts new legs. Fifteen people were killed on March 12 when a bus returning from a Connecticut casino crashed into a guardrail and had the top sheered off by a sign post. Days later, a bus on the New Jersey Turnpike collided with an embankment, killing two and injuring more than 40. A week later, another 25 people were injured when a bus flipped onto its side in New Hampshire.
“We need to determine why these dangerous bus drivers and bus companies were not taken off the road before these disasters occurred,” said Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., at a Wednesday hearing on bus safety.
Many of the more well-known bus companies, such as Greyhound, already have adopted some of the safety measures contemplated in the bill. However, among the many smaller carriers, where the deadly accidents are concentrated, there has been no such embrace of safety.
Many of the safety features “are common sense,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said at the Senate subcommittee hearing. But, he added, “they are not required by law, so they’re not adopted by carriers.”
Separately, the Associated Press reports that federal regulators have taken Super Luxury Tours Inc., the company involved in the New Jersey crash, off the road. Its permission to operate was revoked.
Related Posts:
Third Tour Bus Crash Heightens Focus on Unsafe Operators
Deadly Tour Bus Crashes Spur Calls for Safety Measures
Deadly Tour Bus Crash Spotlights Driver Fatigure, Regulatory Concerns
