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WASHINGTON—Congressman Paul D. Tonko is celebrating news today that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, will act on persistent calls by Tonko and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to provide states with resources to support enforcement of state laws and get unsafe limos off the road. Tonko has repeatedly pushed for this and other federal and legislative reforms in the wake of the tragic Schoharie limo crash on October 6, 2018 that took the lives of 20 people.

“More than two years ago, our community was forever changed by the loss of 20 lives in the crash of a limousine that should never have been on the road,” Congressman Tonko said. “Since that terrible day, I have never stopped working with the families of the victims to raise the bar on limousine safety across America and ensure no family in our community or any other has to suffer this kind of preventable tragedy again. I am heartened by this federal action by the U.S. Department of Transportation to help states get dangerous limos off the road, but as we turn the corner on this pandemic and seek a return to many of life’s celebrations, far more is needed to make sure our roads are safe. We can build on this progress and save countless lives by passing our SAFE Limos Act, which has now been added to bold national infrastructure legislation moving quickly through the House of Representatives. Every day that passes without these commonsense reforms is another day that our neighbors, friends and loved ones are at risk from unsafe limousines on our roads and in our communities.”

FMCSA’s announcement marks the first federal response to improve limo safety standards since the Schoharie limo crash. The announcement follows guidance NTSB issued on enforcing vehicle out-of-service orders after an investigative report on what led to the deadly crash. In addition to their recommendation to FMCSA, the board also delivered two recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that have not yet been accepted. Tonko is pushing to make these life-saving recommendations and other safety standards law in his limo safety package, of which several provisions were recently included in must-pass infrastructure legislation in the House.

Earlier today, Rep. Tonko spoke (VIDEO LINK) at a major auto safety press conference highlighting the advance of his limo safety provisions as part of a major infrastructure package, the INVEST in America Act, expected to pass out of the House later this week

In 2019, Rep. Tonko introduced a comprehensive plan for national limousine safety reform, one year to the day after the tragic limousine crash in Schoharie, New York. Tonko has worked closely with families of these victims and as well as another group of families who lost loved ones in another limousine tragedy on Long Island. They introduced their resulting package of federal limousine safety reforms in Tonko’s hometown of Amsterdam, New York with Congressman Delgado (NY-19) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and with the support of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21).

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