United States Department of Transportation
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NTL Classification:NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION;NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Transit Safety and Security;
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Abstract:This purpose of this study was to collect and analyze information from Government, industry, and media sources on the causes, frequency, and severity of motorcoach fires in the U.S., and to identify potential risk reduction measures. The Volpe Center created a database on reported motorcoach fire incidents between 1995 and 2008. Independent reference sources were used to verify that incidents were applicable, to address missing or unknown field values, and to derive non-reported elements. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that: (a) approximately 160 motorcoach fires are reported annually, with average damages of $65,000; (b) with the exception of a single catastrophic fire, which resulted in 23 fatalities and 15 injuries, approximately 95 percent of the reported fires resulted in no direct injuries or fatalities; (c) about 70 percent of fires originate in the engine compartment and wheel wells; (d) frequency of motorcoach fires for model years 1998–2002 compared to older models was disproportionately greater than their relative populations; (e) vehicle out-of-service (OOS) rates for fire-involved motorcoaches have exceeded rates for all buses, and the gap has widened in recent years; and (f) North American Standard (NAS) Motor Carrier Inspection and OOS criteria may not sufficiently identify all precursors of motorcoach fires.
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