Seth Seymour
WTVC-Channel 9 (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
March 5, 2007
It's a lingering question following the deadly bus crash in Atlanta : Would seat belts on the motorcoach have saved lives?
No one knows for sure, but what is clear is the law: Seat belts are not required on buses.
Some say it's fatal oversight in Washington . Other say it's a noble goal that could never be enforced.
"It happens several times a year," says an expert who's seen one too many crashes involving motorcoaches.
Problem is, "The federal government has done very little to protect the safety of passengers on motorcoaches and buses," says Jim Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board during the Clinton administration.
Hall fought years ago to make motorcoaches safer. In 1999, his biggest recommendation for motorcoaches was to install seat belts.
"Why wasn't anything done before?" asks NewsChannel 9's Seth Seymour.
"Well, there hasn't been enough deaths," Hall replies.
And as a result, Hall says, the government can't justify the cost to force companies to add seat belts.
"I would be surprised if seat belts wouldn't have saved lives in (the Atlanta ) tragedy," Hall says.
Chip Allen is a sales manager for All Aboard Travel in Chattanooga .
"Seat belts always save lives. It's a known fact," Allen says. "But again, they're not required on coaches. Safety records of motor coaches are very, very good."
But Allen says even with seat belts, there's a problem: "Because there's no way to monitor them. You can't check them. People won't use them."
