Westfield, IN – April 7, 2009 –-- Today SafeGuard®, a division of IMMI, announced it is supplying belted seats for Greyhound’s fleet of 140 new Prevost motorcoaches. The new Premier™ is a three-point belt seat featuring SafeGuard SmartFrame™ technology that protects both belted and unbelted passengers, providing improved safety for the entire family, from large adults to small infants.
While the federal government does not yet require seat belts in large buses, Greyhound is the first line haul carrier in the industry to equip its coaches with belted seats, addressing one of five federal highway safety priorities on the NTSB Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for 2008.
James Johnson, director of sales for the SafeGuard division of IMMI, applauds Greyhound for its leadership position. “Premier redefines the safety expectations of today’s motorcoach passenger by offering protection for both belted and unbelted passengers,” Johnson said.
Prevost and SafeGuard tested and validated Greyhounds’ new coaches equipped with Premier seats to meet the strength requirements defined in FMVSS 210 for seat belt anchorages. “No other U.S. vehicle platform is exempt from 210, so it was imperative that we followed proven guidelines,” Johnson said. “School buses with similar GVWR are required to meet 210 when equipped with seat belts. We don’t believe motorcoaches are an exception.”
Johnson explained how experience in the school transportation market prepared the company to serve the motorcoach market. “SafeGuard was the first to bring lap-shoulder belts to market on school bus seats in 2002, and now SafeGuard bus seats are protecting over 200,000 children in more than 40 states,” he said. “The company achieved a lead position in the school bus seating market by offering SmartFrame technology and by certifying seat performance to NHTSA requirements in our crash-test facility. With the introduction of Premier, SmartFrame is now available to the motorcoach industry.”
The new Premier, with lap-shoulder belts and exclusive SmartFrame technology, offers full compartmentalization protection in frontal crashes, even for unbelted passengers. The seat has two structures. The inner structure provides lap-shoulder belts and absorbs crash energy for the belted passenger, while the outer seatback structure remains vertical to cushion anyone in the seat behind who isn’t wearing a seat belt.
The Premier makes its debut on 140 Prevost X3-45 coaches ordered by Greyhound. The first coaches in the new fleet are assigned to the New York to Montreal and New York to Toronto routes, with additional buses slated to begin appearing on the New York to Boston route by mid-April. Over time, Greyhound has plans to replace the entire nationwide fleet.
Premier is now available on Prevost motorcoaches and will soon be available with other OEMs. SafeGuard is bringing Premier to the motorcoach market in partnership with American Seating, a Grand Rapids, Mich., company serving the transportation industry for more than 70 years. For more information, contact American Seating at 800.748.0353.
About SafeGuard
The SafeGuard® division of IMMI®, based in Westfield, Ind., has been the industry leader in child and bus passenger protection for more than 30 years. Utilizing a modern crash-test facility, sophisticated engineering and advanced manufacturing operations, SafeGuard develops and supplies innovative, proven restraint systems and seating solutions for customers worldwide. The first to bring lap-shoulder belts to market on school bus seats in 2002, SafeGuard is now leading the way to provide belted seating to passengers on motorcoaches, in partnership with American Seating.
For more information about SafeGuard, visit safeguardseat.com, or call 877.447.2305.
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