Government Says Coach Buses Must Have Seat Belts

Published at 12:02 pm, November 20, 2013 | Updated at 11:44 am, October 22, 2015

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The federal government is taking action to improve the safety of coach buses.

Starting in 2016, all new coach buses will have to be built with lap and shoulder seatbelts for passengers. Transit and school buses are exempt.

Each year, the government says 21 people die in coach bus accidents and close to 8,000 are injured.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says requiring seat belts could reduce the death count in bus accidents by 44 percent.