[PackRatTDI]

Originally Posted by Deus

I do agree about speed issues with busses. Most of the time I don't have a problem with them (as much as I do taxis, I *hate* taxis, 99.999% of them cannot drive worth $&!+). I do however believe there should be nation wide speed limits and regulations involving passenger carrying CMVs.

Doesn't help school bus drivers only make like $12 in a lot of areas either. It is a shame they don't pay them more for carrying such a precious commodity. Not sure what athletic team bus drivers make...

Most of the regional bus companies in my part of the country start around $12/hr for drivers. The difference is that they are full time while school bus drivers are part timers.

I'm curious as to how they operate driving teams and if the bus had a co-driver sleeper berth. As I understand the DOT laws regarding buses, a co-driver that is sitting/sleeping in a passenger seat, even though it is NOT in the drivers area, is still considered "on-duty" and the only way to accumulate "off-duty" hours would be.

A. To be on the bus but NOT assigned to drive it.

B. To be in a sleeper berth.

C. Not on the bus period.

Most US bus companies don't employ any sort of sleeper berth. The DOT regs regarding bus sleepers are essentially the same for trucks (no sleepers built into the cargo area, emergency access doors, access to the driver/passenger area). In 1995 the DOT looked into setting specific regulations regarding the design bus sleepers (borrowing from the designs used in Europe and Latin America) but since there wasn't much interest from the industry, the DOT shelved the idea. The Irizar Century, which was imported by Metrotrans between 1998 and 2000 (when they went bankrupt), offered a belly sleeper berth that conformed to DOT regulations.

[golfhobo]

From an ABC News report:

There are two "Prepare to Stop" signs on the ramp, which exits off the left lane, and the same words are painted on the ramp itself, he said.

"Our view of that ramp has been that it is in total compliance with industry design standards," Spear said.

Fred Hanscom, director of independent consulting group Transportation Research Corp., said the ramp could have larger signs, a stoplight at the top or pavement grooves that make a noise to warn drivers to slow down.

"The fact that this ramp went almost parallel with the main line (of the interstate) was a confusing factor," Hanscom said. "Drivers normally expect ramps to go to the right and not the left."

Details continue to be slow in arriving, and sketchy at best. I don't know anything about "coach" drivers, per se. But, I am unclear exactly what they mean by "the drivers had just switched out."

IF.. the wife was HIS codriver, that doesn't necessarily mean that THEY were splitting the driving for the whole trip. I heard ONE early report that "sounded" like the bus had actually stopped somewhere, and the TEAM was switched out. From what little I know.... there are many situations where driver teams live in various towns around the country, and when the Coach comes thru there, it stops, and the local team takes over. The previous team then rests in a hotel, until that or another coach comes back thru, where they get on and drive back home (Ohio in this case.) I don't know if this is what they meant..... I JUST can't get enough detailed information to make this determination.

I'm not blaming the drivers for everything. I have serious concerns about the design of the ramp. But, there WERE warnings and signs (sufficient or not,) and the driver should have seen them, or slowed down out of simple caution if something didn't seem right. I'm quite sure there should have been "cross traffic" on Northside drive that time of the morning. Wouldn't seeing traffic running Perpendicular to you be a "red flag?"

This was a tragic accident, and there may be MANY contributing factors. But, there is no way I'd buy that it wasn't "preventable."

[Templedawg]

I have run the area where the accident occured in P&D before. That intersection can be pretty confusing. There are several times I have almost gotten on the highway from the HOV lane only get on ramp, the N bound get on and S bound get off ramp are both left handers. Darn DOT knows many truckers screw this up and sit at the bottom of the get on ramp to give you a ticket for being in HOV in a commercial vehicle. I live in Atlanta, and the HOV lanes are screwy as hell sometimes. Take in account it happened in the dark and the roads were wet, and a tragic accident. I have been in areas where the HOV lane goes up into the air into an elevated road, perhaps this is what the driver was thinking. Very tragic accident indeed.

[mowman]

I live in Atlanta and know the crash site well. I commuted past it for many years.

It's a very poor design, but it's well marked. It's in a definite urban area in which the locals normally go 80+ mph in spite of the 55 mph speed limit.

If you miss the LEFT EXIT signs, you may be drawn to the exit mistaking it for a lane, but there is no mistaking the fact that it is an exit once you're on it due to the steep elevation, guard rails, and signage.

I really hate to beat up on a fellow driver, but I believe it's rather likely he was in unfamiliar territory driving too fast for the conditions because he wanted to keep up with the 4 wheelers.

Signage at the location exceeds federal guidlines. Apparently, the driver did not.