Dulles, VA. June 7, 2013. As authorities continue to investigate limousine and bus accidents around the country, Reston Limousine CEO Kristina Bouweiri assures clients in the metropolitan Washington DC region that the chauffeured transportation industry is fully committed to the safety of passengers.
“I’ve been in the business 23 years and in those 23 years, something like this has never happened,” Bouweiri said, referring to a May 5 limousine fire in the San Francisco Bay area that killed five women. Authorities expect to issue an official report on the accident in the next two weeks, according to recent media reports. “My deepest condolences go out to the families who lost relatives in that accident. However, we can’t speculate on the cause and until that’s been identified, we can’t fully address this very tragic event,” Bouweiri said.
“In the meantime, I’ve been contacted by many of our clients asking about the safety of our vehicles,” she added. “I want them to know that we have the highest safety rating from the U.S. Department of Transportation, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense, and we inspect our vehicles on a regular basis in our own maintenance facility. We’ve always had our child safety locks disabled and fire extinguishers in the vehicles, and we’ve recently purchased hammer-type devices that will enable passengers to break the windows.”
Bouweiri noted that both the U.S. Department of Transportation and Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles encourage consumers to ask companies about proper licensing and safety practices, including the company’s vehicle maintenance program, when choosing a limousine operator. “While cost is one important issue, it should not be the primary consideration. The safety of your group must be your most important concern,” the U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website says.
The DOT website provides safety information on interstate passenger carriers around the country, including Reston Limousine, which has the highest safety rating. Carrier safety ratings are as follows:
· Satisfactory; Records indicate no evidence of substantial non-compliance with safety requirements.
· Conditional; Records indicate that the carrier was out of compliance with one or more safety requirements.
· Unsatisfactory; Records indicate evidence of substantial noncompliance with safety requirements.
In addition, Reston Limousine has scored the highest possible rating in the Department of Defense’s rigorous audit of all aspects of its safety performance, qualifying the company to transport military personnel, as well as to provide transportation services for federal, state, city and county agencies.
“The rigorous inspection was an extremely thorough test of our safety fitness,” Reston Limousine Safety and Training Manager Keith Johnson said in a 2011 press release. He noted that while the outside audit is “very intense on its qualifications for all commercial vehicle drivers,” it also measures other aspects of a transportation company such as record keeping, safety management programs, operational procedures, and vehicle maintenance standards.
Johnson, a full-time employee who monitors the company’s safety compliance, also assists Fleet Manager Daniel Craig in overseeing the maintenance of the company’s 160 vehicles at the 24/7 Operations Center located at Reston Limousine’s Dulles headquarters.
Links:
Consumer information from U.S. DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-security/PCS/Consumers.aspx
Reston Limousine’s DOT safety information:http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/PassengerSearch/carrier_detail.aspx?DOT=VGGHTGDtAT8=&DOCKET=XGAfKcHEA0o=
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Tips on Choosing a Limo Service
http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/commercial/#mcs/choosing_limo.asp
About Reston Limousine:
Reston Limousine is the Washington, DC, metropolitan area’s largest limousine/shuttle service and premier transportation provider. The award-winning company is nationally ranked in operational size, and among the top 10 largest shuttle bus fleets. With 260 employees and a 170-vehicle fleet, including buses, vans, limousines, and sedans, Reston Limousine serves the metropolitan area from headquarters in the Dulles corridor and a satellite location in Capitol Heights, MD. In addition to its government shuttle transportation services, Reston Limousine is well known locally for innovative Virginia wine tours, wedding, social, and VIP transportation. For additional information contact Reston Limousine at 703-478-0500 or visitwww.restonlimo.com.