Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. The summer driving season is about to begin. And with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon more Americans will most likely turn to buses as an economical and affordable alternative to cars.
According to the American Bus Association there were more than 720 million passenger trips by motor coach in 2009 covering more than 1.73 billion miles. A recent study shows that bus travel has outpaced air and rail transportation as the fastest-growing mode of transportation and rising fuel prices will only accelerate this growth.
Unfortunately although seat belts are mandatory on airplanes and have been required in cars since 1968 passenger buses are not required to install this most basic and ubiquitous safety feature. This lack of obvious protection needlessly makes millions of Americans vulnerable to serious injury and even death on our nations highways every day.
Its a tragic fact that in recent bus accidents more than half the fatalities occurred as a result of rollovers and 70 percent of those killed were ejected from the bus. Seat belts and other basic safety improvements could have protected many of these accident victims.
If we heard reports of airplane crashes as often as we hear of bus crashes there would be congressional outrage. We should hold buses to the same high safety standards. Minimum and reasonable safety standards that are taken for granted in other modes of transportation such as cars and planes are absent in most buses today.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and I have introduced legislation the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2011 to overhaul and dramatically increase the safety of buses to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by these accidents. Our measure S. 453 has already passed the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee and we hope to bring it to a vote in the full Senate soon.
Sen. Brown and I are strong advocates for this critical issue because both of our states have experienced several tragic and preventable bus crashes. In 2006 two students from Beaumont West Brook High School in Texas were killed and 21 people injured after their charter bus overturned. The bus did not have seat belts and the oversize windows that covered much of the bus were not impact-resistant.
Our legislation would directly address these shortcomings by requiring seat belts stronger windows and crush-resistant roofs so that buses can better withstand rollovers and passengers will not be thrown from their seats.
Congressional action is needed because the Department of Transportation has not acted on many basic passenger safety protections even after the National Transportation Safety Board suggested a lengthy list of bus safety improvements including several cited in our legislation safety belts crush-resistant roofs and stronger windows.
Another critical issue that directly affects bus safety and must be addressed is that of reincarnated" carriers. Such carriers are bus companies often providing charter buses for school and group trips that are taken out of service because of extensive safety violations and then quickly resume operation under new names.
This practice allows these risky carriers to continue operating without having to address and correct safety violations. This was one of the factors that led to a devastating bus accident in Sherman Texas that claimed 17 lives in 2008.
Our bus safety legislation would close this loophole by requiring motor coach vehicle safety inspections of all new bus operators to ensure they are able to operate safely before they carry a single passenger and it would help stop the growing problem of reincarnated carriers.
Now is the time to pass the Brown-Hutchison comprehensive bus safety legislation. Our proposal presents a sensible way to help prevent many senseless tragedies. As Americans climb aboard buses and hit the road this summer let us be sure that we are doing everything possible to make their trips safe.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee.
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. The summer driving season is about to begin. And with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon more Americans will most likely turn to buses as an economical and affordable alternative to cars.
According to the American Bus Association there were more than 720 million passenger trips by motor coach in 2009 covering more than 1.73 billion miles. A recent study shows that bus travel has outpaced air and rail transportation as the fastest-growing mode of transportation and rising fuel prices will only accelerate this growth.
Unfortunately although seat belts are mandatory on airplanes and have been required in cars since 1968 passenger buses are not required to install this most basic and ubiquitous safety feature. This lack of obvious protection needlessly makes millions of Americans vulnerable to serious injury and even death on our nations highways every day.
Its a tragic fact that in recent bus accidents more than half the fatalities occurred as a result of rollovers and 70 percent of those killed were ejected from the bus. Seat belts and other basic safety improvements could have protected many of these accident victims.
If we heard reports of airplane crashes as often as we hear of bus crashes there would be congressional outrage. We should hold buses to the same high safety standards. Minimum and reasonable safety standards that are taken for granted in other modes of transportation such as cars and planes are absent in most buses today.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and I have introduced legislation the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act of 2011 to overhaul and dramatically increase the safety of buses to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by these accidents. Our measure S. 453 has already passed the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee and we hope to bring it to a vote in the full Senate soon.
Sen. Brown and I are strong advocates for this critical issue because both of our states have experienced several tragic and preventable bus crashes. In 2006 two students from Beaumont West Brook High School in Texas were killed and 21 people injured after their charter bus overturned. The bus did not have seat belts and the oversize windows that covered much of the bus were not impact-resistant.
Our legislation would directly address these shortcomings by requiring seat belts stronger windows and crush-resistant roofs so that buses can better withstand rollovers and passengers will not be thrown from their seats.
Congressional action is needed because the Department of Transportation has not acted on many basic passenger safety protections even after the National Transportation Safety Board suggested a lengthy list of bus safety improvements including several cited in our legislation safety belts crush-resistant roofs and stronger windows.
Another critical issue that directly affects bus safety and must be addressed is that of reincarnated" carriers. Such carriers are bus companies often providing charter buses for school and group trips that are taken out of service because of extensive safety violations and then quickly resume operation under new names.
This practice allows these risky carriers to continue operating without having to address and correct safety violations. This was one of the factors that led to a devastating bus accident in Sherman Texas that claimed 17 lives in 2008.
Our bus safety legislation would close this loophole by requiring motor coach vehicle safety inspections of all new bus operators to ensure they are able to operate safely before they carry a single passenger and it would help stop the growing problem of reincarnated carriers.
Now is the time to pass the Brown-Hutchison comprehensive bus safety legislation. Our proposal presents a sensible way to help prevent many senseless tragedies. As Americans climb aboard buses and hit the road this summer let us be sure that we are doing everything possible to make their trips safe.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee.
