Bus driver laws need changing

It is so upsetting to read front-page news with these headlines, "Bus driver had a bad license" [News, March 16]. On April 11, 1992, we lost our beloved 13-year-old son, Michael, to a charter bus accident. He and 27 other children were on their way home from a school-sponsored field trip. One other boy also died.

A safety board found that their bus driver should not have been behind the wheel, having had a series of previous accidents. We as bereaved parents were promised laws would be changed.

After reading about this horrific accident, it's clear that the practice of hiring incompetent drivers is still going on. This must stop. Our hearts and sympathy go out to all the passengers and their families.

Ann Marie and

Ralph Capozzi

East Meadow
 

Regarding the bus tragedy in the Bronx, there are many who suggest the bus regulatory system failed by allowing this driver to operate a bus with passengers.

New York's vehicle and traffic law mandates that electronic notifications be sent to employers when a driver's license is suspended. Any employer who ignores or otherwise treats this notification casually does so at its own peril, subjecting the company to punitive damage awards outside normal insurance liability coverage.

As to his criminal background, convictions for manslaughter and grand larceny, the bus driver in the Bronx may have been disqualified to drive a school bus, not a motor coach.

We should revisit the correction law regarding denying employment based on criminal history. The law is clear that a nexus must exist between job duties and criminal history that directly affects the fitness of the driver. Does it in this case?

George Blank

Bay Shore

Editor's note: The writer is a transportation safety and regulatory compliance consultant.