The Grayhound bus involved in the 2023 crash in IllinoisNTSB
The NTSB said driver fatigue, inadequate company oversight and a critical lack of safe truck parking along the National Highway System led to a fatal early-morning collision on Interstate 70 in Highland, Illinois, the NTSB determined at a board meeting recently.
The NTSB reports, "On July 12, 2023, a Prevost motorcoach operated by Greyhound traveling westbound departed I-70 for the Silver Lake Rest Area exit ramp, where it collided with three tractor-trailers that were parked on the right shoulder of the exit ramp. As a result of the crash, three motorcoach passengers were killed and the driver and 11 passengers sustained injuries. The truck drivers in the three tractor-trailers were uninjured.
“This crash was as tragic as it was preventable,” said NTSB Chairman Jennifer Homendy. “Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation’s roads.”
Among its recommendations, the NTSB urged the Department of Transportation to expand the use of the Truck Parking Information Management System to identify the need for additional truck parking. The system uses cameras and sensing devices to identify open truck parking spaces at rest areas. Those openings are posted to electronic highway signs and can be sent directly to truck drivers.
The NTSB also suggested grants be made available to state and local governments to create and maintain truck parking.
During the meeting earlier this week, NTSB investigators and board members discussed multiple safety issues in this collision. These included:
- ​​Motorcoach driver fatigue
- Deficient driver oversight by Greyhound, including lack of a progressive discipline policy; lack of adequate record-keeping; and lack of policies for implementing driver monitoring systems
- Insufficient federal guidance on safety management, driver coaching and fatigue mitigation
- Lack of seat belt use by the motorcoach passengers
- Crash risk from lack of truck parking availability along the National Highway System
As a result of this investigation, the NTSB is issuing 11 new recommendations and two reiterated recommendations to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Greyhound Lines, the National Coalition on Truck Parking, the American Bus Association and the United Motorcoach Association.
Additionally, the NTSB is reiterating two safety recommendations previously issued to FMCSA.
An executive summary containing the probable cause, findings of the investigation and safety recommendations are available on the investigation web page. The final report will be published on the NTSB’s website in several weeks.
