[IMAGE]PremierSeatFull.jpg[/IMAGE] On Tuesday, SafeGuard, a division of IMMI, announced it is supplying belted seats for Greyhound’s fleet of 140 new Prevost motorcoaches. 

The new Premier, with lap-shoulder belts and exclusive SmartFrame technology, offers full compartmentalization protection in frontal crashes, even for unbelted passengers. The seat has two structures. The inner structure provides lap-shoulder belts and absorbs crash energy for the belted passenger, while the outer seatback structure remains vertical to cushion anyone in the seat behind who isn’t wearing a seat belt. 

The Premier makes its debut on 140 Prevost X3-45 coaches ordered by Greyhound. The first coaches in the new fleet are assigned to the New York to Montreal and New York to Toronto routes, with additional buses slated to begin appearing on the New York to Boston route by mid-April. Over time, Greyhound has plans to replace the entire nationwide fleet. 

While the federal government does not yet require seat belts in large buses, Greyhound is the first line haul carrier in the industry to equip its coaches with belted seats, addressing one of five federal highway safety priorities on the NTSB Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for 2008. 

Premier is now available on Prevost motorcoaches and will soon be available with other OEMs. SafeGuard is bringing Premier to the motorcoach market in partnership with American Seating, a Grand Rapids, Mich., company serving the transportation industry for more than 70 years.