NHTSA Proposes New Regulation for Commercial Buses

 Posted on August 29, 2014 in Personal Injury

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced proposed regulation in an effort to help protect passengers riding in large commercial buses in the event of rollover crashes.  The agency, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), released a 111 page document which covers the new regulation and the reasons behind it.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx referred to the consequences of rollover bus crashes as “severe” and said the agency wants to reassure the public that they are always looking for way to improve passenger safety.

The regulation applies to the structural design of new buses that are manufactured, ensuring that in the event of a crash, passengers will remain safe because the space around them does not collapse. The regulation would also ensure emergency exits would still be usable after a crash impact.

Testing for buses would include placing the bus on a raised, flat service and then tipping it over onto a hard surface. The regulation would require that during testing:

• The bus would have sufficient space around the passenger compartment  so that they would be protected;
• That all seats, luggage racks, and glazing on window would all remain in place and attached to their mountings;
• All of the vehicle’s emergency exits would remain closed during the rollover but would be fully operational and easily opened at the conclusion of the test.

The NHTSA also recommends that in addition to structural improvements, passengers always wear their seat belts to help stay safe and protected in the event of a crash.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates the number of commercial bus road trip taken every year at approximately 700 million.  The FMCSA has also taken steps to improve passenger safety by stepping up its investigations of high-risk transportation companies, as well as more stringent oversight of licensing and medical fitness of commercial bus drivers.

If you have been injured in a bus accident, contact an experienced Hartford personal injury lawyer from The Woolf Law Firm, LLC to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for pain and loss. Call 860-290-8690.