teports slam ninibus safety
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Britain's minibuses have en slammed as unsafe and comfortable in two revealing ports this week.
According to the Consumer sociation's Which magazine are are several striking issions in minibus safety les. Seat belts should be ted to all seats, door locks ould be secure so they rmot burst open, and seats ould be firmly fixed to the or so that they will not break pse on impact — though they ight to be soft enough to shion a passenger in the rent of an accident. Durham-based PSV anufacturer City Vehicle ngineering has also surveyed 36 minibus passengers from x of Britain's big urban areas id found passengers critical of ggage space, height of steps, :.ovision of handrails, width of itrance and gangway and size seats.
Which magazine claims :cident figures for 1986 lowed 18 people had been Med and 1,657 injured in iinibus or motorcaravans. One six of all passengers killed or ijured was aged under 14 and ne in 10 was elderly.
The Department of 'ransport says it is looking into minibus safety. One proposal it is currently considering is a change in PSV licence regulations. At present, a driver can transport 14 people in a minibus under an ordinary driving licence. The DTp is thinking of reducing the number of passengers to nine, including the driver, before a PSV licence would be required.
The Dip says, however, any changes in PSV licences or minibus safety rules would take some time to implement as any new regulations would have to conform to European harmonisation.
The Bus and Coach Council claims the Which report is misleading as it does not draw a distinction between private minibuses and public service minibuses which are subject to most PSV safety regulations.
"As 95% of driving accidents are caused by driver error, perhaps the Department of Transport should look at raising the age at which minibuses can be driven, instead of considering the vehicle's hardware," says the Council. "Any 17-year-old can pass his driving test on Thursday and take a group of pensioners to their doom on Saturday."