South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
It’s Spring Break and tourist season and visitors from around the country are looking toward commercial buses to reach some of the state’s hottest destinations. To help to reduce the risks of bus accidents in Stuart and elsewhere, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently unveiled its new SaferBus iPad/iPhone application.
This app is the first of its kind and is offering bus riders with a quick, simple and free way to look over a bus company’s safety rating and safety records before purchasing a ticket or booking their next travel.
“This new app gives Americans the information they need to make smart safety decisions,” said Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary.
Our Stuart accident lawyers understand that tour groups, families and students are likely to use commercial buses as transportation options through the spring and summer months. Now, officials are urging all travelers to use the SaferBus app to research companies and to help choose a safe ride before booking that next trip.
This app has been designed to be used on Apple iPads and iPhones. You can download it for free at the Apple iTunes App Store or by visiting the FMCSA’s “Look Before You Book” web site.
The SaferBus app is offering information and records regarding about 6,000 interstate commercial passenger carriers within the U.S. Privately-operated motorcoach, tour bus companies and school bus records are also available on this app. The importance of apps and services like this is growing as the technology improves. There were nearly 1,000 million motorcoach passenger trips taken in the United States in 2009, according to the American Bus Association.
Anne S. Ferro, the FMCSA Administrator, said this app is the first step in helping to make bus information available to smartphone users. Now smartphone users are able to access this information with the touch of a button. Officials are hoping that the exposure will help get companies to keep safety as the number one priority. Ferro points out that this app isn’t only for all of the companies that are bad and have unsafe records, it will also be used to highlight companies with positive safety and transportation records.
The app is offering the most recent 2 years of a company’s safety performance records. Within these records are vehicle maintenance, controlled substances/alcohol, driver fitness, fatigued driving and unsafe driving reports.
Tourists and others travelers who are thinking about riding a bus to their next Florida destination are urged to check out this new app and to really do their homework regarding which busing company can best meet their needs. Planning out trips can help to make them run smoother and safer! Happy travels.
If you or someone in your family as experienced a bus accident in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach or in any of the surroundings areas, the South Florida personal injury lawyers at Freeman & Mallard are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve. Call today to set up a free and confidential review of your rights, 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
FHP Uses Operation Safe Driver Campaign to Help Reduce Bus and Truck Accidents in Tamarac and Elsewhere, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, October 16, 2011
Miami-Dade Transit and Metrorail Recruits Bus During Protest — Increasing Risks of Bus Accidents in Miami, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, August 25, 2011