NYC Councilman Drafting Bill To Ban Tour Bus Drivers With Multiple Infractions
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The crash that injured more than a dozen people in Times Square has officials taking a closer look at how tour buses operate in the city, WCBS 880's Monica Miller reported.
City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez is drafting a bill that would ban bus drivers with three or more infractions over a 10-year period from getting a necessary permit.
CBS 2 EXCLUSIVE: Driver In Times Square Bus Crash Says He Wasn't High On Anything
Terri Merritt from North Caroline is in awe of the "crossroads of the world," but when it comes to putting her life in the hands of a double-decker tour bus driver, she says, "They're good, but they have to be a little more conscious."
The driver involved in Tuesday's crash, 58-year-old William Dalambert, had 20 administrative suspensions. However, his lawyer told the Wall Street Journal they had nothing to do with his driving ability.
"His most recent violations are for driving while using a cell phone from a July 23, 2013 incident in East Orange and driving without a license/registration/insurance in Irvington on December 1, 2013," the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission said in a statement.
Dalambert failed a field sobriety test at the scene, but preliminary drug and alcohol tests came back negative.
"We are taking this matter seriously and prosecutors in the Office's Vehicular Crimes Unit are conducting a thorough investigation," the DA's office said in a statement Wednesday.
Witnesses said the Gray Line bus Dalambert was driving rolled into the area at a high speed, hitting the second bus and toppling a traffic light, causing the metal pole to snap and tumble on a pedestrian strip.
The crash happened near the TKTS discount Broadway ticket booth, which was packed with people at the time.
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