'Lives remain at risk'—ACC
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• The introduction of proposed vehicle safety features in new coaches should be speeded up, according to the Association of County Councils. The Department of Transport expects a number of new coach safety requirements — including regulations on roof strength, seat strength, exits and fire risks, to apply to vehicles manufactured from April 1 1988 and first used from October 1, 1988.
The ACC's Public Transport sub-committee, however, wants as many of the measures as possible to be introduced at an earlier date because it says "lives remain at risk".
It believes that 1988 "appears to be an excessively long time away, particularly as some of the measures — such as fire retardent seats and front seat belts — should not present any major manufacturing difficulties".
The sub-committee is concerned that many of the existing coaches, which lack the improvements, will remain in use for many years, and owners may be deterred by the cost of retrofitting any safety measures.