According to the Association of Central German Bus Companies, the requirement to wear seat belts in long-distance buses is difficult to enforce. The drivers would point this out when starting the journey and after breaks, and there are signs at the places, said association boss Mario König “MDR Aktuell”. However, checking is simply not possible for the bus driver.
A spokesman for the Dresden police added that those who refuse to wear a seatbelt on the bus are harder to catch. The check is usually carried out on sight when you drive past. Technical possibilities are also limited. A sensor for unplugged belts, as is often installed in modern cars, would be theoretically possible, but it would sound an alarm every time the passenger goes to the toilet. Therefore, like in airplanes, this technology is not practical.
Last Wednesday, a coach had an accident on the A9 near Leipzig. Four women died and 30 people were injured. The cause and exact course of the accident were unclear and are being investigated. The long-distance bus left the road and fell onto its side. Just two days later, a double-decker coach crashed on Autobahn 44 near Werl in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to police, more than 20 people were injured.
