NTSB to Limo Operators: Buckle Up for Change

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

In the wake of a deadly Ford Excursion limousine crash in upstate New York, the National Transportation Safety Board is calling on limo operators and builders to ensure passengers are belted in. It’s also calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make its recommendation the law of the land.

The 2018 crash in Schoharie, NY killed 18 occupants of the aging SUV-turned-limo, as well as two pedestrians. Using this crash and several others as a starting point, the NTSB’s study and subsequent report found that the only way to ensure passenger safety is the most obvious one: buckle up.

While the 2001 Excursion super-stretch retained the model’s original rear seats and belts and included belts for the perimeter-style bench seating, “the NTSB found the side- and rear-facing bench seats failed in the direction of the crash forces and that the strength of these seats and their anchorages were inadequate during the crash,” the report states.

“In comparison, the original Ford passenger seats in the rear of the vehicle remained attached to the floor and intact.”

Despite the passenger compartment of the limo remaining intact following the crash, none of the occupants were belted when the vehicle lost control on a steep grade. The NTSB feels the crash would have been survivable, had the seats remained secure and the belts properly anchored. And, of course, if the occupants were strapped in.

Two other fatal limo crashes ⁠— one in Elgin, Illinois, and the other in Cranbury, New Jersey ⁠— also saw fatalities, despite lower crash forces than those seen in the NY accident. Again, seatbelts were provided, but occupants chose not to wear them.

Especially with perimeter seating, “if seat belts on limousines are not readily accessible to the passengers, they are unlikely to be worn,” the NTSB claims.

The board’s recommendations are threefold. For one, it calls upon the NHTSA to “require lap/shoulder belts for each passenger seating position on all new vehicles modified to be used as limousines,” and to mandate that “seating systems in these vehicles to meet minimum performance standards to ensure their integrity during a crash.”

It also calls upon the National Limousine Association to educate its members on proper seat belt use and “develop methods to ensure seat belts are functional and accessible to passengers and encourage passengers to use them.” Lastly, the NTSB wants the New York Department of Transportation to “ensure all limousine seat belts are functional and accessible in their regular inspection process.”

[Image: Volvo Cars]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • LeBaron LeBaron on Oct 07, 2019

    Okay, we all know that you are better off when buckled up and when the seats stay attached to the floor. I'm seeing nothing here or at the link that states the proximate cause of the accident. About all I'm getting from the links at the NTSB site is that the State of New York tried to stonewall the NTSB. Anybody have a clue what the cause was? Brake failure, driver health issues, what? After all, you are better off not having the accident at all. Paul

    • See 2 previous
    • Sgeffe Sgeffe on Oct 07, 2019

      @chuckrs I didn’t recall two people outside the vehicle being killed, either. Were they walking at the end of the offramp as the limo went careening through the guardrail at the “T”-intersection? I thought that limo barreled through the intersection and ended up partially submerged underwater in a creek adjacent to it.

  • Snooder Snooder on Oct 07, 2019

    Wait, how am I supposed to get a lapdance (or something more appropriate to the name) in the backseat of a stretch Hummer limo if everybody is buckled up? Lame.

  • FreedMike Meanwhile...Tesla's market share and YTD sales continue to decline, in an EV market that just set yet another quarterly sales record. Earth to Musk: stop with the political blather, stop with the pie-in-the-sky product promises, and start figuring out how to do a better job growing your business with good solid product that people want. Instead of a $30,000 self driving taxi that depends on all kinds of tech that isn't anywhere near ready for prime time, how about a $30,000 basic EV that depends on tech you already perfected? That will build your business; showing up at Trump rallies won't.
  • 28-Cars-Later "Here in Washington state they want to pass a law dictating what tires you can buy or not." Uh, waht?
  • Tassos NEVER. All season tires are perfectly adequate here in the Snowbelt MI. EVEN if none of my cars have FWD or AWD or 4WD but the most challenging of all, RWD, as all REAL cars should.
  • Gray Here in Washington state they want to pass a law dictating what tires you can buy or not. They want to push economy tires in a northern state full of rain and snow. Everything in my driveway wears all terrains. I'm not giving that up for an up to 3 percent difference.
  • 1995 SC I remember when Elon could do no wrong. Then we learned his politics and he can now do no right. And we is SpaceX always left out of his list of companies?
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