Time to pony up
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to push for the motorcoach industry to add seat belts to protect passengers. In Australia, seat belts have been required in motorcoaches since 1994, while the European Union has made them mandatory since 1997. Texas will be the first in the U.S. to require seat belts on all tour buses chartered for school trips starting in 2011.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to push for the motorcoach industry to add seat belts to protect passengers.
In Australia, seat belts have been required in motorcoaches since 1994, while the European Union has made them mandatory since 1997. Texas will be the first in the U.S. to require seat belts on all tour buses chartered for school trips starting in 2011.
There are arguments on both sides – for or against – adding seat belts on both school buses and motorcoaches. Historically, science has made a strong case that motorcoaches are a safe form of transportation without passenger restraint systems; however, recent history has proven that they would have been vital in protecting the life of passengers during motorcoach accidents, such as the one in Mexican Hat, Utah last January.
Today, the argument against adding seat belts on coaches comes down to securing monies to retrofit buses. Since the NTSB is pushing so hard for the industry to add seat belts, then it’s up to the feds to come up with a way to help foot the bill.
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