Shortly before dawn on Tuesday morning, a First Class Tours, Inc. bus carrying Channelview band students crashed into a 50 foot ravine in Baldwin County, Alabama. The students were traveling home to Channelview from a trip to Disney World in Florida. The driver was killed, and dozens of students were injured. This type of crash often causes traumatic brain injuries, as well as orthopedic injuries. By all accounts, this was a one-vehicle collision. The most common causes of this type of bus crash are driver fatigue and vehicle equipment failure. Federal and state law have strict requirements for interstate drivers of commercial vehicles. Despite these rules, which limit hours behind the wheel, and require scheduled rest breaks, a crash study by the Department of Transportation study found that, in collisions where the truck was at fault, 87 per cent were caused by driver fatigue. Many of these collisions occur between midnight and 6 a.m. — the time of day when drivers are naturally drowsy. Federal and state laws also require regular maintenance and daily inspection of commercial vehicles. Equipment failure, such as brakes that are dangerously worn or out of adjustment, often cause fatal collisions. It is the driver’s responsibility to check his rig at the beginning of every trip, and to submit a vehicle maintenance report. In spite of these requirements, poor vehicle maintenance is also a major cause of truck and bus collisions. The tour company’s online safety record shows that the company has been involved in four […]
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