The fatal tour bus accident close to Hoover Dam last Saturday claimed the lives of 7 Chinese tourists when the driver over-corrected and caused the bus to rollover several times.
The passengers on this small airport-style tour bus owned by D.
W.
Tours and driven by Han Dong had no seat belts available.
The Chinese passengers who were tossed out of the bus during the roll-event all died.
The bus had seat belts as an available option but none were installed.
Isn't it time seat belts on tour buses were mandatory? Many questions remain unanswered as the national transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and local law enforcement officials continue their investigation.
Reports suggest they are now focused on the driver as the potential cause of the accident.
The reality of this accident is this.
The bus passengers who were thrown outside the bus (ejected) had little chance at survival.
Automobile, truck and bus manufacturers have known for decades that keeping passengers inside the vehicle (whether a tourist bus, common bus, car or truck) is the most important survival factor in any vehicle accident.
Yet, seat belts remain a manufacturers 'option' for purchasers of tour buses.
And school buses remain largely unregulated when it comes to safety belt use.
If these Chinese tourists had seat belt available to them, and properly wore those belts, it is very likely that there would be no fatalities in this accident.
Their families and loved ones would not be flying from China today, to identify bodies or claim remains.
While the accident may still have occurred, the resulting injuries could have been diminished and the death avoided altogether.
NHTSA has been avoiding the issue of deaths due to ejection from buses for decades.
Hopefully, this tragedy outside the Hoover Dam in Arizona will cause regulations making seat belts mandatory to be passed and tour operators to encourage their use by passengers.