Charter buses are a great way to travel and for the most part, they are safe. The drivers are usually experienced and are required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). These licenses usually require additional training for drivers to attain this license specification. Interstate charter buses, also known as motorcoaches, are required to have a USDOT registration and operating authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration before carrying passengers between states for compensation. The FMCSA also provides a website, called SAFER, where people can check the safety rating of any company possessing a USDOT registration.
WFLA reports on two charter buses carrying special needs students that crashed while on a field trip to Orlando. On Friday morning, two charter buses carrying almost 100 Pasco County special needs students collided. The accident sent 34 of the students to the hospital.
According to school authorities, 91 students and several adult staff members were headed to Medieval Times in Orlando. The two buses were on Rockland Road in Lakeland behind a pickup truck, which slowed to turn into a driveway. The trailer that the truck was towing had defective lights, causing the leading bus to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. The second bus was unable to stop in time and slammed into the back of the front bus.
No one was seriously injured in the collision, but 34 students were taken to the hospital for the treatment of minor injuries or as a precaution. The driver of the truck that had defective trailer lights was ticketed. The driver of the second bus received a citation for careless driving.
Bus accident injures 25 people, including 16 children
In Moor Haven, Florida, a four vehicle crash occurred, injuring 25 people, including 16 children. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, just prior to 8:00 p.m., on January 20, there was a collision between three semi-trucks and a school bus on U.S. 27, five miles north of State Road 29. The bus passengers were from...