Editorial: Bus drivers must be well rested

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 | 9:26 a.m.

Passengers who travel on commercial buses for business, pleasure or simply to get to the next town should be able to have a reasonable expectation that they will reach their destination safely and in comfort. They also should be able to make the assumption that the bus driver is sober and competent to operate the vehicle.

Tragedy can strike, however, when that driver nods off at the wheel. Several of the passengers who were injured in a July bus crash 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas alleged that the driver of the Greyhound Lines Inc. bus, Jerry Davis, was visibly exhausted and had stopped twice to revive himself with coffee and fresh air. Davis subsequently died from the accident, which was reportedly caused when the vehicle drifted off the highway and onto an exit ramp without slowing.

Greyhound, which is still investigating the accident, has denied that Davis fell asleep. But an investigative piece written by Las Vegas Sun reporter Benjamin Grove and published Sunday ought to cause the federal government to sit up and take notice.

Grove found that federal regulations such as those involving time spent behind the wheel are woefully lacking in addressing bus driver fatigue. Record-keeping involving accidents caused at least in part by sleepy drivers is virtually nonexistent. While the federal government does a good job helping to ensure that airline pilots are well rested, we regret to say that the same cannot be said for commercial bus drivers.

Las Vegas has a vested interest in safe bus travel because about 8 percent of our tourists come by bus. Tourists should be able to have the same faith in their bus drivers as airline passengers have in their pilots.

We urge the Department of Transportation and the National Transportation Safety Board to study the issue of fatigue and develop regulations that will help ensure that bus drivers are well rested. One idea the government ought to consider is drowsy-driving detectors, which are under development. They would signal that the driver should get off the road and get some sleep. The goal is to get the driver to change his driving habits.

Bus companies also can do a better job with scheduling to help make sure that their drivers are alert and will not become fatigued while behind the wheel. The issue of fatigue is serious enough that Congress should act if the federal agencies fail to do so.