By Dave Millhouser

Duane was a large, powerful man.

When the ancient coach he was driving entered a turn too fast (sans power steering), he yanked the wheel around. The force snapped the drivers seat pedestal and Duane rolled into the stepwell. He scrambled back to the wheel and, standing like a ships helmsman, completed the turn.

This was one of those occasions when a seatbelt might have done more harm than good, had the seat remained strapped to Duanes derriere.

Were at a point where motorcoach safety is being scrutinized in new, and potentially awkward, ways. While every responsible operator welcomes real improvements, many are wary of politically motivated, simplistic fixes to complex problems.

Our industry sometimes is perceived as being against mandated seatbelts, when what we really want are measures that are demonstrated to be effective.

An engineer once told me he could guarantee the safety of every passenger in a bus accident, but only if he was informed, in advance, what kind of accident it would be. Effective protection for one type accident might kill in another.

Years ago a beverage truck knocked a loaded school bus into a lake and several students drowned. In that particular case seatbelts probably would have made things worse.

In New Brunswick, Canada, a coach missed an exit and overturned. Several passengers were thrown through the windows and killed. Seatbelts, almost certainly, would have helped. Ironically, in this case, each of the passengers killed HAD a seatbelt but wasnt using it.

Recently, lots of technical innovation has been introduced to prevent accidents but there will always be mishaps. Traditionally, in our industry, survival in a crash largely depended on passengers remaining contained in a rugged cabin. Most fatalities occurred when victims were thrown from the vehicle.

That approach worked admirably for many years but then one thing changed the equation. Windows got big -- real big, creating large spaces through which bodies could fly. In addition, the larger sashes are harder to keep latched (not to mention heavier to open in an emergency).

Engineers dont invent things; they find ways to make technology practical. It would be nice if safety was our only concern, but in real life it cant be. Otherwise 45-foot coaches would have no windows and seat 17 people in fireproof Styrofoam cocoons.

The goal is a bus that is as safe as possible but nice enough to not drive the public back into cars, whose accident rate dwarfs that of buses. Engineers are asked to hit a moving target as markets, technology and politics evolve.

Politicians (and lawyers with 20/20 hindsight) seek simple solutions. The problem is that those may not be the BEST solutions.

Seatbelts may be part of the answer. Theyre mandated in Europe, and one large U.S. carrier that uses them was pleasantly surprised to find 60 percent of the passengers on its double-deck buses were strapping in.

In a long-awaited crash test, preliminary data seemed to indicate that current seat mounting systems might be adequate for belted seats. If so, fears that coaches would have to be substantially redesigned appear to be unfounded.

If seat belts are part of the solution, should they be two or three point? How do you handle passengers who, by not buckling up, may become missiles in an accident? In some cases, belts cause injuries; whos responsible in that case?

Europeans bond side windows into the coach. That approach should be studied because it has the virtue of being simple to build, while strengthening the bus body.

Manufacturers have been forced to take a wait-and-see approach to some technology. If they move one way, and regulators move another, theyre toast. Once practical standards are in place, they will respond with enthusiasm and creativity.

Several major builders offer a number of innovative safety options in Europe but not here. The litigious climate in the U.S. makes it too risky. Theyre damned if they do, damned if they dont.

Part of any new regulation must be protection for manufacturers that comply. A builder, whose vehicle meets standards, shouldnt be sued when an unforeseeable accident occurs.

A coach was passing a blasting zone on the thruway when an 80-pound rock was flung 100 feet into the air. It dropped vertically through a bus roof, almost into the lap of a passenger. Should every coach be equipped with an armored roof (and what would that do to stability)?

What needs to happen is for responsible politicians and regulators to think things through, perform more real-world testing, check out what the rest of the world is doing, and then promulgate realistic standards.

We, as an industry, need to be visibly proactive in this process, and change the perception we resist change. Proclaiming were the safest way to travel rings hollow in the aftermath of a tragedy.

Dave Millhouser is a bus industry marketing consultant and freelance writer. Contact him at: dave_millhouser@hotmail.com.