Highway Special Investigation Report
Selective Motorcoach Issues
Highway Special Investigation Report
Selective Motorcoach Issues
NTSB Number SIR-99/01
NTIS Number PB99-917001
PDF Document (703K)
Synopsis: In an average year, more than 360 million bus
passengers travel 28 billion passenger miles in North America. The motorcoach
industry estimates that more than 30,000 commercial buses are presently
in use for charters, tours, regular route service, and special operations
in North America. According to industry estimates, 4,000 motorcoach companies
are operating in the United States. Bus accident statistics are limited;
however, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's)
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data for 1993 to 1997 indicates
that 141 motorcoaches were involved in accidents that, in total, resulted
in the deaths of 21 occupants and injuries to 442 occupants.
The National Transportation Safety Board investigated two accidents in 1995 and 1997 that are typical of the motorcoach accidents that it has investigated over the years. On October 14, 1995, a 1989 Eagle motorcoach operated by Hammond Yellow Coach Line, Inc., (Hammond) and occupied by a driver and 40 members of a high school booster club overturned when it entered an Interstate (I)-70 exit ramp in Indianapolis, Indiana. Two passengers sustained fatal injuries, 13 sustained serious injuries, and 26 received minor injuries.
On July 29, 1997, a 1985 Transportation Manufacturing Corporation (TMC) motorcoach operated by Rite-Way Trans-portation, Inc., (Rite-Way) and occupied by a driver and 34 members of a tour group drifted off the side of I-95 near Stony Creek, Virginia, and down an embankment into the Nottoway River, where it came to rest on its left side. One passenger sustained fatal injuries, the driver and 3 passengers sustained serious injuries, and 28 passengers sustained minor injuries.
These accidents involved factors that the Safety Board has repeatedly identified as being issues in accidents and having the potential for catastrophic consequences, namely driver fatigue and poorly maintained or out-of-adjustment brakes. In both cases, the carriers involved had satisfactory safety ratings. The Safety Board therefore examined the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA's) safety fitness criteria for motorcoaches. The Safety Board is convinced that had a more restrictive compliance review process been in place for motorcoaches, these and other accidents may not have occurred.
This special investigation report includes detailed descriptions of these two motorcoach accidents and discussions of the following safety issues:
As a result of its investigation, the Safety Board makes recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation, NHTSA, the American Bus Association, and the United Motorcoach Association.