I am simply fed up with reading newspaper stories about catastrophic motorcoach collisions or rollovers resulting in passenger ejections and fatalities/or critical injuries. Just like an ostrich, our industry leaders, govt. agency safety leaders, and legislative bodies have their proverbial heads in the sand.

For decades, authoritative heads have said that safety belts on busses and motorcoaches are unnecessary due to factors such as "compartmentalization", "monocoque motorcoach construction", high-back seats, and lower G-forces during an average motorcoach collision compared with auto vs. auto.

In Feb. 1999, the United Motorcoach Association issued their "White Paper" report which defended the lack of seat belts on motorcoaches. Although the 3 page article summarizes some of the arguments, it is very thin on facts and details that are available from crash tests and actual crash histories. Taking a closer look at catastrophic motorcoach accidents of the last decades would have tipped the report in favor of seat belts. It is clear, due to the costs involved of retrofitting an estimated 30,000 motorcoaches throughout the USA, that the industry "voice" would lean in the direction of doing nothing. After all, the dues paying members of the UMA, don't want to see their association lobby Congress for something that they would have to pay for! This attitude is shortsighted. This issue will NOT go away!

If you want to educate yourself on the issue of seat belts on motorcoaches, and catastrophic crashes, I would recommend you read "Bus Crashworthiness Issues" by National Transportation Safety Board from Sept.'99 Click here: Bus Crashworthiness Issues Please read pages 43-55. The gist of it is that 2/3 of fatalities from rollovers are a result of occupant ejections. NTSB states that in the overwhelming majority of rollover accidents, safety belts would have minimized these fatalities or injuries. Also, "abrasion-resistant, coated acrylic windows", called "glazed" windows make a big difference in containing passengers in rollovers. Also, recommendations by the Federal Highway Administration were made in 1973 for seat belts be mandatory in the first two rows (where there is limited compartmentalization), culminating in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in 1979 to Congress. However, the notice was never published!

Where we are in 2006? European Union nations have mandated lap safety belts on all seats, and shoulder belts in the front row and drivers seat. This has been in effect since June 1996. Australia have had safety belts legislation since 1992. Their legislation goes further mandating 3 point safety belts throughout for all new coaches manufactured. New Zealand laws require front row passengers to wear their belts, or else the coach operator is ticketed. (I guess the driver insists the passengers adhere to the law, or move to another seat.) It is interesting to note that most of these seat belts, especially the lap seat belts, adhere to lower G (gravity) load rating. US NHTSA require a 20 G load rating which is way too high, and unnecessary. European requires a 6.6 G load rating, which they have found to be sufficient in their crash testing (especially with newer, stronger seat construction).
Its true that the heavier load rated seat belts would add tremendous weight (10,000 lbs.) to an American motorcoach, as well as higher costs.

It seems to me that the approach should be the immediate lowering of the proposed G load rating of the safety belts, as well as the immediate legislation of LAP SAFETY BELTS ON ALL COACHES MANUFACTURED IN THE USA or CANADA. And the retrofitting within three years of all coaches registered in the USA or Canada.

I have sat in a motorcoach equiped with lap belts for all seats, (in France). I can assure you that the lap belt, which is held in place on the sides of the cushions by two 5 inch plastic harness pieces, is entirely comfortable whether you decide to wear the belt, or not. In fact, I wore the safety belt for two hours, and slept MORE soundly as a result - the lap belt kept my body in place and was onobtrusive. And the straps do not hang loosely all over the place, they're always tension-pulled into the harnesses.

Ask the poor souls whose bodies were ejected in the horrifying, catastrophic, Greyhound accident on the Northway (I.87) in Upstate New York last month (Aug.29, 2006) - suspected front tire blowout. Sure, there is no guarantee those passengers would have actively worn safety belts if they were available and installed (as they would have been in the E.U.). But who are WE to make the assumption that those souls would have made the wrong decision and not participate in what we regard as normal safety decisions? Look at the pictures of the motorcoach as it was being loaded onto a flatbed truck. Most of the non-glazed windows on the right side did not withstand this horrific crash. Many more people in fact were ejected, about 20, and there were many serious injuries along with the 4 passenger fatalities. Shouldn't they too, have had a seat belt restraining option?

Isn't the cost of a lap safety belt retrofitting provision/new coach construction provision worth it, compared to the cost of continued bad publicity of the motorcoach industry on an issue that the vast majority of the American public would say is a common sense solution. Don't forget, our industry has been recently spotlighted in the media with problems such as coach fires, illiterate and non-english speaking CDL coach drivers, lax government oversight, an FMCSA that needs a total overhaul, etc. etc.

Do we really have to wait for another Waco, Tx jury trial type decision? This is the local civil case where a jury found that MCI (Motorcoach Industries) should have been installing safety belts in its new construction motorcoaches and was liable for the deaths of some ejected passengers - in a rollover accident in Waco, Tx. (The decision is being appealed to a higher court and will probably be overturned.)

It is time for the legislative bodies to get moving, take another look at the current technological advances (i.e. tension lap belts, glazing on windows, etc.), and stop dickering with small details negating the effects of seat belts, and face the overwhelming documented facts supporting the use of seat belts.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!