Aug. 28—In the aftermath of the tour bus crash that killed five people on Interstate 90, one north country lawmaker is advocating for legislation he wrote to address these situations.
A bus returning Aug. 22 to New York City from Niagara Falls crashed on the Thruway in Western New York, killing five and raising the specter of deadly bus crashed for another time in New York. Assemblyman Scott A. Gray, R-Watertown, sees similarities with another recent crash, from 2023 in St. Lawrence County that killed six. In that crash, a box truck collided with a bus carrying migrant laborers. The two vehicles collided on a rural highway in the town of Louisville.
A report from the National Transportation Safety Board issued in the aftermath of the Louisville crash found that the truck lost control and crossed a center median, and that the company operating the bus was in violation of a number of rules and regulations, including making moves to evade federal oversight. A number of state and federal agencies were found to have failed to enforce the safety regulations they were responsible for.
In response, Gray introduced two bills in Albany aimed at addressing road safety and monitoring for high-occupancy vehicles like buses and limousines.
One bill would require safety belt use, a pre-trip safety briefing and regular vehicle inspections for all commercial passenger vehicles — similar to rules the state has put in place for limousines, a result of the 2018 Capitol Region limo crash that killed 20 people, including a Watertown couple.
A second bill would implement a new requirement that buses and “motor coaches” undergo in-route safety inspections at designated rest stations to along state highways, at least once every thirty days. These inspections will look at seat belts, lighting, brakes, tires, emergency exits and equipment and check driver credentials and rest history. The Department of Transportation would run the checkpoints, established at rest areas on state highways of their choosing.
“The continuous crashes and tragic fatalities on our roads are devastating, especially when we know there are simple, proven measures that can prevent them,” Gray said. “Beyond reinforcing the importance of always wearing your seat belt, we must ensure regular vehicle inspections, pre-trip safety briefings and in-route safety checks to protect passengers.”