Curbside bus travel can be a popular way to get to your destination for work events or recreation. Oftentimes, these buses carry a smaller group of passengers in contrast to a big motorcoach and go from one city to another to reach their destination. But a new National Transportation Safety Board report shows that these curbside buses have more violations and cause more accidents than other types of buses.
Driver violations involving fatigued driving and driver fitness issues were higher than conventional buses. The curbside carrier safety records show that the carriers are responsible for seven times more fatalities and injury rates, and they carry a higher amount of logbook violations too. And the numbers may be even higher, for no formal categorization for curbside carriers is in existence, which makes it harder for national and state authorities to track these types of carriers.
“Business and safety practices within the growing curbside bus industry create challenges for enforcement authorities and consumers alike when it comes to separating the safe operators from the unsafe operators,” said NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman.
Many curbside carriers are small operations, with less than 10 buses and only a decade or less of doing business. The NTSB has found that many of these companies simply change their business name after a troubled history has negatively impacted their business. Safety advocates say that companies with a history of serious violations should be shut down for good. Federal and state investigators are unable to oversee these curbside carriers in a timely manner because they are overwhelmed with the amount of inspections and reviews for compliance.
Bus drivers who are involved in an accident are usually subject to alcohol and drug tests to see if that caused the accident. Investigations also involve reviewing their cellphone records to see if they were distracted by a phone call, texting, or emailing while driving. Inconsistent enforcement of driving time violations, license requirements, maintenance standards, and lack of compliance reviews is no excuse for an injury or death. Individuals and their loved ones who are dealing with a catastrophic injury or a wrongful death from a bus accident should seek prompt legal action. A bus accident lawyer can investigate what went wrong, who is at fault for the accident, and who is responsible for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other costs.
Robert Briskman is a Chicago bus accident lawyer and Chicago truck accident lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
