URGENT QUESTIONS: After this tragedy, suppose it's time for mandatory seat belts? If every car in America now is made with airbags, how difficult is it to require seatbelts for all motorcoaches? -- M.R.
From The Washington Post: Gerald Donaldson, senior research director for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said regulators in the European Union and Australia have required seat belts on buses since the 1990s. But he said the lack of U.S. regulations extends beyond seat belts. Motor coaches aren't required to have stability control that would protect against rollovers, a technology the government requires for passenger vehicles. Additionally, Donaldson questions the level of state and federal scrutiny of new bus companies, the thoroughness and frequency of vehicle inspections, border enforcement of the even more lightly regulated Mexican buses, the absence of training and driving standards for drivers, and loopholes in medical rules that allow drivers to go "doctor shopping" for required examinations. "It is the most unregulated commercial motor vehicle on the roads today," he said.
Print | posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 10:09 AM