In a Wednesday news release, state and federal lawmakers called for new safety regulations following a stretch limousine crash this month that killed 20 people in Schoharie, including the 18 people in the converted Ford sport utility vehicle.
In Washington, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement new safety regulations as a result of the crash as the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues its investigation into the causes of the crash.
“The heartbreaking stretch limousine accident in Schoharie painfully reminded the federal authorities, who create safety standards through rule-making and enforcement, that – in terms of safety for passengers, drivers, and pedestrians – stretch limousines are woefully under-regulated; they fall into a gap between cars and buses, both of which have well-developed safety rules,” said Schumer, the Senate minority leader.
“With the NTSB now investigating safety requirements for stretch limousines, today, I’m calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to stand ready to implement recommendations from the NTSB that will enhance safety. The loss of life experienced in the Schoharie crash is overwhelming and must not be repeated; I’ll work alongside Senators Gillibrand and Blumenthal, NTSB, and NHTSA to do all we can to ensure that it isn’t.”
The lawmakers are pushing for a study assessing what improvements can be made for passenger protections, an evaluation of how stretch limousines are constructed and what safety issues arise as a result, and develop specific requirements to inspect structural safety once a stretch limo has been converted.
There is also a call to review whether limousines should be classified as commercial vehicles, which would require drivers to carry a commercial driver’s license and have more extensive training.
“The limousine crash in Schoharie County made it painfully clear that there are tragic consequences when we don’t have adequate safety regulations. This was our nation’s worst transportation disaster in nearly a decade, and now the federal government has an urgent responsibility to make sure nothing like this ever happens again,” Gillibrand said.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must respond to this crisis, immediately begin working to implement new safety rules for stretch limousines, and follow the recommendations from the NTSB investigation as soon as they are finished. My heart goes out to the families and friends of the twenty New Yorkers who lost their lives in this terrible accident, and I will do everything in my power to help keep our roads safer in the future.”
On the state level, Brooklyn Sen. Simcha Felder, a Democrat aligned with Republicans, proposed legislation that includes a retirement age for stretch limos; new training requirements for drivers; as well as inspection and insurance regulations that would make it harder for a vehicle to get back on the road should it fail to pass.
The limo involved in the crash, officials have said, failed inspection a month earlier.
“The Stretch Limousine Safety Act will ensure that limos are regulated in line with other for hire vehicles in a five-pronged approach that also addresses their unique modifications,” Felder said.