US mandates seat belts in tour buses

Newly manufactured long-distance buses in the United States will need to be fitted with seatbelts and shoulder belts for all passengers under a ruling by a federal agency.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Agency (NHTSA) yesterday said the ruling -- which won't apply to urban transit or school buses -- would go into effect in November 2016.
"Adding seat belts to motorcoaches increases safety for all passengers and drivers, especially in the event of a rollover crash," said NHTSA chief David Strickland.
On average, 21 occupants of inter-city coaches and other large buses are killed, and nearly 8,000 injured, in motor vehicle accidents every year, the NHTSA said.

Seat belts could reduce fatalities by up to 44 per cent, and moderate to severe injuries by up to 45 per cent, it said.
The worst bus accident in US history occurred in May 1976 when a school bus carrying a high school choir went off a cliff in Yuba City, California.
Seat belts have been mandatory in US cars since 1968, but the NHTSA says they're not needed in school buses, which are subject to their own stringent safety and design guidelines.