Safety challenges and oversight in the motorcoach industry: attitudes and perceptions of drivers, roadside inspectors, and federal investigators.

Interstate motorcoach travel has been the fastest-growing transportation mode in recent years. To identify challenges to monitoring compliance with motorcoach safety regulations and to examine factors affecting safety, four focus groups with a total of 32 participants were conducted during 2011, one with federal safety investigators, one with state motor carrier inspectors, and two with motorcoach drivers. Investigators and inspectors expressed concern about falsified logbooks, inadequate sleep among motorcoach drivers, hazards from speeding motorcoaches, practices by motorcoach carriers to mask ownership and avoid oversight, and difficulties keeping up with rapid motorcoach industry growth.

EMS helicopter crashes: what influences fatal outcome?

Study Objective: In recent years, air transport of patients has been associated with disproportionate increases in crashes and deaths. We identify factors related to fatal outcome in air medical helicopter crashes and suggest preventive measures.

Methods: This was a retrospective study using National Transportation Safety Board records for helicopter emergency medical services (EMS) crashes between January 1, 1983, and April 30, 2005.