Motorcoach Bus Safety Bill Approved By U.S. Senate Committee
Philadelphia car and bus accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily salute United States Senate Committee’s approval of long sought legislation which will dramatically improve motorcoach safety for millions of Americans. Known as the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act introduced by Senators Sharrod Brown, (D-Ohio) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas), the bill was passed by the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee and will move to the Senate floor for consideration.
This bipartisan bill comprehensively addresses NTSB safety recommendations by including safety requirements for occupant protection (seat belts, roof strength and anti-ejection windows), protection against onboard fires (fire fighting equipment, fire suppression), and crash avoidance (electronic stability control and tire pressure monitoring systems). This legislation also addresses the safe operation of motorcoach companies through new safety reviews to be conducted within nine months of starting operations and improves driver safety by requiring entry level driver training and electronic onboard recorders to ensure compliance of federal rules of maximum driving time.
Annually more than 700 million Americans take trips in motorcoaches, as many as United States commercial airlines carry. Today there are nearly 3,700 interstate motorcoach companies operating more than 34,000 motorcoaches and thousands of other motorcoaches operating in interstate commerce. Each year, the number of new interstate registered motorcoach companies increases by about 900. Safety advocates indicate that for decades DOT has not required motorcoaches to have the same occupant protection safety features that are routinely designed into passenger motor vehicles to prevent catastrophic injury and death. For example, in 1968, the NTSB first recommended that motorcoaches be equipped with seat belts. Today there is no federal requirement for this essential lifesaving protection in a crash.
