The federal government has mandated seat belts on passenger cars since the 1960s, but commercial buses have largely escaped without any government regulations. However, that looks to be changing as a new motion to require seat belts on commercial buses is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill.
According to The Detroit News, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is preparing new legislation that would require seat belts on commercial motor coaches. The National Transportation Safety Board has been pushing for such legislation for years, but only has the power to recommend safety changes, not make them. That’s where the NHTSA comes in.
“I think it is true that NHTSA was slow to act,” Ron Medford, the acting top official at NHTSA, told The Detroit News. Medford added: “We are on it.”
Some believe the NHTSA is at least a decade late on such legislation: Since 1998 there have been 33 commercial bus accidents involving the ejection of 255 passengers.
In addition to the new seat belt regulations, the NHTSA is also considering several other bus safety regulations, including roof strength requirements and updated emergency exit regulations. The NHTSA recently increased roof strength requirements for passenger cars but there aren’t currently any on the books for commercial buses.
Although the new regulation would require seat belts on commercial buses, the NHTSA doesn’t have the authority to force passengers to wear them. The new law would not apply to school buses.
05/19, 5:59 PM
posted by:
DB9
lol:-)) Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts…
Should we be afraid – very, very afraid – or sit back and pretend it’s all good?:-))) Where is it going to stop? Oh well, by November they’ll be too worried about 2010 elections for anymore social engineering – one can hope:-)) Geez at this rate…
DB9;-)
05/19, 7:10 PM
posted by:
DrFill
Pretty sad so many lives are lost due to corporate greed and slough, and poor government regulation
No excuse for the hundreds of lives lost
On occassion I get on one of these Greyhound buses, and am surprised they still don’t have any passenger belts
Always a disappointment
DrFill
05/19, 9:09 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
I haven’t ridden a bus- aside from local business ones such as the Metro or T-CAT- that don’t have seat belts. Most buses are available with them as far as I know.
05/20, 1:09 AM
posted by:
jdasch1
Bad enough that you have to carry seat covers for Greyhound bus trips…now seat belt covers…gees whats next??
05/20, 4:10 AM
posted by:
bghewy
There were 2 major accodents in Australia involving interstate coaches and it was after such an event that it became law that any Coach built after a certain date must be fitted with them. This was back in the late 80’s early 90’s. Local or suburban buses are excluded.
05/20, 8:19 AM
posted by:
Hyperion
“The new law would not apply to school buses.”
Wow. Not even considering seatbelts in all NEW school busses, huh? I never felt safe on those things but like any other kid who considered the possibility of an accident or rollover on the way to/from school, you just forget about it because you have to take the bus, like it or not. You may not be able to force kids to keep their belts on but there will be several who will use them.
Once you’ve seen a couple of inboard-roof-mount videos of a school bus rolling over and spilling kids everywhere in all directions, slamming into the steel interior you realize what could have happened to you.
05/20, 8:58 AM
posted by:
leftwingagenda
yeah, the school bus thing has struck me as odd for a long time…the safety of the school bus is based on it being big and yellow, and that’s about it, because they seem to fold like accordions in accidents…the way things were on when i was growing up, though, it would’ve taken a team of armed guards with tazers to keep us in our seats on the bus…
05/20, 9:50 AM
posted by:
Borat
You can’t foolproof the bus! There is legislation in NJ forbidding flies to fly but damned things don’t listen and have no intention to comply. In Europe I saw recording devices on each bus. There is no need for police to catch driver speeding. Police has rights to examine device at will, furthermore, the company reviews those recording. If driver caught speeding he does not work any longer. This cheap and effective solution. You can add preventive measures: speed limiters, signal to the base that driver is speeding or changing lanes abruptly. This will save much more lives then Shermans on wheels.
05/20, 5:37 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
Borat- A bus speeding is scary, but I haven’t found too many. Not to say I haven’t seen any…
The local school district has seatbelts on all their buses as far as I know.
05/20, 9:29 PM
posted by:
DrFill
In their defense, kids bounce of the highway much better than adults…….
DrFill
05/20, 11:17 PM
posted by:
Get Real
They don’t get 35mpg so obama will kill them.
Only China and India as developing nations are allowed to make global warming gases from big buses.
We in the US of A must walk or bike to save the planet.