U.S. Officials to Study Bus Safety

VOA Breaking News (Voice of America)
April 3, 2011 at 7:15 pm

Two U.S. lawmakers have announced that the federal transportation safety authority will start a broad investigation of the discount tour bus industry after a deadly crash in New York last month.

New York Senator Charles Schumer and New York Representative Nydia Velazquez announced Sunday that the bus review is expected to take about six months.

The probe follows the deadly pre-dawn crash last month of a tour bus returning to New York City from a casino in the neighboring state of Connecticut. Fifteen people died when the bus ran off the road and crashed into a pole supporting a street sign.

Federal officials have said the bus was speeding before the crash.

Just days after the March 12 crash, another tour bus crashed en route to the city of Philadelphia, killing two people. And a week later, a tour bus crashed in the state of New Hampshire, injuring some passengers.