Latest Blogs

Tom Costello with NBC News reported Thursday, December 12, 2013 on Nightly News with Brian Williams that following fatal crashes in New York, Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas, Federal regulators have shut down more than 50 of "the worse of the worst" interstate bus companies for blatant safety violations which range from keeping drivers on the road too long to cruising along with bad tires and brakes and even tolerating holes in the floor. This represents 340 buses operated by 52 companies are now banned from the nation's roadways and could be permanently parked for months. NBC further reports that bus coaches carry about 700 million passengers every year -- almost as many who fly.  

Most airline passengers are concerned about the safety records of the airlines they choose to fly. Safety records including the competency, and alcohol and drug testing of the pilots and mechanical safety checks.  Bus passengers should also be concerned not only for which carrier services their market, but also for the bus carrier's safety record.

The U.S. Department of Transportation - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has information on their website -  Are You Planning A Bus Trip - Look Before You Book.

Here they provide a SaferBus app which allows potential passengers to check safety records of carriers they may be considering.  This is a free app which gives the user easy access to a bus company's safety performance record, and allows complaints to be filed from mobile devices.  The FMCSA developed the SaferBus app to be available 24/7.

"Below is more specific information from the FMCSA website. If you or someone you know is planning a bus trip, please be sure to have the SaferBus app.  As FMSCA recommends, 'Look Before You Book'.  You will have a safer and happier bus-riding experience", says Attorney Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.

Bus Company Operating Authority and Insurance Status - The app protects consumers from illegal interstate bus companies that should not be operating. Passengers should not use interstate bus companies that do not have valid U.S. DOT operating authority or that do not comply with Federal insurance requirements. This app alerts consumers to those illegal bus companies.

View Bus Safety Performance Records - Check the safety performance record of the bus companies you are considering and use this information to make an informed, safety-based decision. The app gives easy and user-friendly access to up to 24 months of a bus company’s safety performance data. This data provides insight into a carrier’s performance in a number of important safety categories: unsafe driving, fatigued driving, driver fitness, controlled substances/alcohol, and vehicle maintenance. The higher the percentage in any category, the higher the potential safety risk. The app gives an easily-accessible snapshot of the data that FMCSA also makes publicly available online at its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) Web site.

Bus Company Safety Results - The app alerts consumers to bus companies with an unsatisfactory safety rating. FMCSA issues three types of safety ratings. The top rating is Satisfactory. Bus companies with a Conditional rating may pose a higher safety risk, and companies with a final Unsatisfactory rating should NOT be operating.

Report a Complaint - The SaferBus app links to the FMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database. In using this feature you can also connect to the FMCSA hotline number 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238). Call 911 in the case of a safety emergency.

Southwest Florida Accident Attorney,  Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.