Congress makes push for stronger bus safety standards

[alp227]

Source: The Washington Post

The deadly spate of recent highway bus accidents has revived a push in Congress to require seat belts, stronger roofs, better windows and electronic stability controls on buses, which carry 750 million passengers a year.

A nearly identical bill that would have put a congressional imprimatur on many initiatives ordered by the Obama administration died last year after Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) put a hold on the legislation that had won unanimous consent from the rest of the Senate.

Three fatal bus crashes this month have renewed efforts to pass a bill.

A bus returning from a Connecticut casino slammed into a guard rail on Interstate 95 in the Bronx, N.Y., and a signpost sliced through as it rolled onto its right side, killing 15 passengers.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/congress_makes_push_for_stronger_bus_safety_standards/2011/03/30/AFDJHi5B_story.html

[Zorra]

1. Wonder how many of those killed were victims of Coburn's mean stupidity? nt

[elleng]

5. Maybe some, but if passed last year implementation would have taken some time.

Your point is well made.

'Peter J. Pantuso, president of the American Bus Association, told the committee that the industry supports stronger enforcement of bus regulations. He said that too few states have effective bus safety requirements.

“These need to be uniform so there’s no safe haven for unsafe carriers,” Pantuso said. “There are a very few carriers who give us a black eye.”'

[whoneedstickets]

2. The net effect of this will be to make bus/public transit more expensive

[freshwest]

3. Oh well.

[elleng]

4. Yeah, life and safety are expensive.

:sarcasm:

This is not about 'public transit,' these are private carriers who are regulated, more or less, by U.S. Dept. of Transportation.