Area U.S. Senators Call for Stretch Limo Regulations

Following the tragic limousine accident that claimed the lives of twenty New Yorkers earlier this month, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration  to implement new federal safety regulations for stretch limousines. The October 6th crash in Schoharie County was the nation’s deadliest transportation accident in almost a decade and revealed an urgent need for new federal safety regulations for these vehicles. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the crash. The senators today urged NHTSA to quickly implement any safety recommendations produced by the NTSB and evaluate other regulatory changes to improve the safety of stretch limousines.

“The heartbreaking stretch limousine accident in Schoharie painfully reminded the federal authorities who create safety standards through rule-making and enforcement that – in terms of safety for passengers, drivers, and pedestrians – stretch limousines are woefully under-regulated; they fall into a gap between cars and buses, both of which have well-developed safety rules,” said Senator Schumer. “With the NTSB now investigating safety requirements for stretch limousines, today, I’m calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to stand ready to implement recommendations from the NTSB that will enhance safety. The loss of life experienced in the Schoharie crash is overwhelming and must not be repeated; I’ll work alongside Senators Gillibrand and Blumenthal, NTSB, and NHTSA to do all we can to ensure that it isn’t.”

“The limousine crash in Schoharie County made it painfully clear that there are tragic consequences when we don’t have adequate safety regulations. This was our nation’s worst transportation disaster in nearly a decade, and now the federal government has an urgent responsibility to make sure nothing like this ever happens again,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must respond to this crisis, immediately begin working to implement new safety rules for stretch limousines, and follow the recommendations from the NTSB investigation as soon as they are finished. My heart goes out to the families and friends of the twenty New Yorkers who lost their lives in this terrible accident, and I will do everything in my power to help keep our roads safer in the future.”

Specifically, the senators are calling on NHTSA to do the following:

Evaluate the construction of stretch limousines, address the safety gaps, and identify how federal safety standards could be improved;

Conduct a study on improving passenger protections;

Develop specific requirements to inspect for structural safety once a stretch limousine has been constructed to ensure that only structurally sound vehicles are allowed on the road; and

Review whether limousines should be classified as commercial vehicles, requiring limousine drivers to carry a commercial driver’s license and undergo more extensive training.