[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S6429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MOTORCOACH SAFETY

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, today the National Transportation Safety 
Board presented its final report on the Atlanta motorcoach accident 
involving the Bluffton University baseball team last March.
  The crash resulted in the deaths of five players on that team: Tyler 
Williams, Cody Holp, Scott Harmon, Zack Arend, and David Joseph Betts. 
The driver, Jerome Niemeyer, and his wife Jean were also killed in the 
crash. Many of the other passengers--33 in all--were treated for 
injuries.
  For the families of those who lost loved ones and the families whose 
sons survived but now struggle with the aftermath, today has been 
highly anticipated.
  Only hours after news of the accident hit home, these families 
pledged to improve safety measures on motorcoaches so that 
preventable--preventable--fatalities would not occur in the future.
  For John Betts, who lost his son David in the crash, it was important 
to take the accident and make it into something positive in honor of 
his son and the other bright, talented young men who died that morning. 
Motorcoach safety became his crusade.
  I spoke to Mr. and Mrs. Betts today and their son and daughter and 
talked to other parents of survivors and one who had died, and I think 
about their courage and their commitment and their passion to do this 
in the names of their sons, to fight for motorcoach safety so this 
tragedy does not befall other families. The Betts family sees upgrading 
the safety laws for motorcoaches as an opportunity to save the lives of 
future riders. Mr. Betts sees it also as a way to memorialize David and 
his teammates and, as he puts it, to make the world they lived in 
better than it was when they left it.
  The Motorcoach Safety Enhancement Act, which I introduced last 
November along with Senator Hutchison from Texas, would address the 
shortfall in safety regulations for motorcoaches.
  Today's final report echoes the recommendations the NTSB has been 
publishing for years and aligns itself with the safety improvements 
incorporated into our legislation. Specifically, the National 
Transportation Safety Board underscored major safety shortfalls that 
the Motorcoach Safety Enhancement Act addresses, such as development of 
a motorcoach occupant protection system, improved passenger safety 
standards, enhanced safety equipment and devices, and required onboard 
recorders with the capability to collect crash data.
  Many of the injuries sustained in motorcoaches could be prevented by 
incorporating high-quality safety technologies that exist today but are 
not widely used, such as crush-proof roofing and glazed windows to 
prevent ejection. More basic safety features, such as readily 
accessible fire extinguishers and seatbelts--simple seatbelts--for all 
passengers, are still not required on motorcoaches. As a father of 
four, I find it particularly disturbing to know students are still 
riding in vehicles without even the option of buckling up. Seatbelts, 
window glazing, fire extinguishers--these are not new technologies. 
These are commonsense safety features that are widely used. Yet 
mandating them, as recommended by the NTSB, has been languishing for 
years.
  The Motorcoach Safety Enhancement Act would instruct the Secretary of 
Transportation to enact these and other safety features and to 
establish a timeframe so these safety requirements do not spend any 
more time in limbo.
  Sadly, the Bluffton University baseball team's fatal accident was not 
unique. We have witnessed story after story about motorcoach accidents. 
One happened in Texas, which precipitated Senator Hutchison's 
involvement in this effort. This bill takes the lessons learned from 
the tragic events of the Bluffton University baseball team's motorcoach 
accident and aims to correct them for future riders.
  It is my hope that in the future parents will not have to endure the 
anguish and the grief that the Betts family members experienced and the 
family members of Tyler Williams and Cody Holp and Scott Harmon and 
Zack Arend and, as I said, the Betts family. I applaud the Betts family 
and the other Bluffton University parents for their courageous fight, 
for their persistence, and for their dedication to improving motorcoach 
safety in the midst of so much personal pain. Those families are truly 
remarkable.
  I urge this body to swiftly pass the Motorcoach Enhanced Safety Act.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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