ALEXANDRIA, Va. The third-annual United Motorcoach Association Safety Management Seminar, featuring a host of new topics and subjects, will be conducted late next month in Ashburn, Va., outside Washington, D.C.

Also updated and overhauled for this years seminar are the program elements tailored specifically for experienced motorcoach fleet safety professionals.

The seminar will be Nov. 29 and 30, and is designed for motorcoach company owners and managers, as well as those individuals who manage and direct coach safety and security operations.

The seminar has two tracks, one for experienced safety and operational executives and the other for those who would benefit from having information about setting up or improving a coach company safety and security program.

The seminar will take place at the training facility of the National Transportation Safety Board in Ashburn, which is near Dulles International Airport, off the Leesburg Pike west of Arlington, Va.

"This years program features principles and philosophies of risk management, how-to ideas on the application of risk management principles, and samples of model policies, procedures and guidelines," said Carmen Daecher of Daecher Consulting Group, which partners with UMA to present the seminar.

"The comprehensive and usable information presented at the seminar next month will be invaluable to people who manage risk associated with motorcoach fleets," added Victor Parra, president and CEO of UMA.

New features to the program this year include:

* Bus Fires: Reasons, Impacts and Action. Learn what you and coach manufacturers can do to help prevent bus fires.

* Vehicle Maintenance Forum. Learn the latest maintenance trends from the major coach manufacturers. Also, see the latest safety devices and measures, and learn how to maximize your warranties.

* Insurance Claims. Learn the ins and outs of the insurance industry. This includes what records your company needs to keep, how operators can manage insurance claims more effectively, and other insurance issues.

* Regulatory, Legal and Security Issues. Industry professionals and regulatory officials will be on hand to cover transit charter service rules, the SafeStat system, the hours-of-service rules, pending litigation, and the latest on homeland security.

* Driver Training. Industry leaders will demonstrate and discuss effective training programs.

The seminar involves a day and a half of classroom presentations. The first day begins at 12:15 p.m., and the second at 8 a.m. Each day concludes at roughly 4:15-4:30 p.m.

To register, call UMA at (800) 424-8262. The fee is $195 for members, $50 more for nonmembers. When the seminar was presented in 2004 and last year, it sold out.