ABA “Motorcoach Passenger Safety Message” Video Strikes Right Tone

Posted by ABA President & CEO Peter Pantuso
Wednesday, July 30, 2008

ABA's "Motorcoach Passenger Safety Message" DVD, VHS, CD and Laminated Seatback Cards all strike the right chord on many levels.

The FMCSA-required pre-trip passenger safety messages are not just the right thing to do to ensure regulatory compliance. They also help to show the story of the positive safety message our industry should be proud of.

The 3-1/2 minute video features topics ranging from emergency egress to proper passenger decorum to ensure safe travel. ABA is going to make the video available on both DVD and VHS, and is also working on laminated seat-back cards and audio CDs for those operators who wish to use options other than video. FMCSA requires the communication of safety messages to passengers, but the medium (video, print, audio) is left to the discretion of the operator.

Complying with federal regulations is not only one more way to help separate responsible operators from rogue outlaws out there, but it also helps to show the traveling public that ABA operators are committed to safety first and foremost.

Additionally, the video helps to elevate the industry as a whole by sending the secondary message that we are on par with the other major mode of travel that uses such messages - airlines - and that our drivers are every bit as professional and diligent in their responsibilities to operate coaches as safely as airline pilots. And they deserve the same respect.

This is a case where a regulatory requirement has positive benefits for all of us in the industry, and I'm pleased to see so many ABA member operators express their enthusiasm for showing it on their coaches as both a safety enhancement and another example of how motorcoach travel is moving up in the eyes of the public.