Limousine Safety Bill Faces Crucial Vote on Friday

By Rick Eymer

A bill sponsored by Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) that would require all limousines to be equipped with two fire extinguishers will face a crucial vote Friday in the Assembly Appropriations Committee in Sacramento. 

Hill introduced the bill in the wake of the tragic limousine fire on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge on May 5, which killed five people.

“Without SB 338, thousands of limousines will go uninspected and will not be equipped with a fire extinguisher,” Hill said. “This legislation simply affords smaller limousines the same safety protections that are provided to larger vehicles because a life in a nine-passenger vehicle is just as valuable as a life in a 10-passenger vehicle.”

According to figures supplied by Hill’s office, the California Public Utilities Commission estimates there are 4,200 converted stretch limousines in California like the one that caught fire in May, killing a bride and four of her friends en route to a bridal party in San Carlos.

Additionally, on June 9, nine passengers successfully exited a limousine in Walnut Creek prior to the vehicle catching fire while idling. 

SB 338 would improve limousine safety standards by requiring limousines to be equipped with two fire extinguishers, to be inspected annually by the California Highway Patrol, and by requiring owners to certify to the CPUC and CHP that the vehicle meets applicable federal and state motor vehicle safety standards.

The bill has received considerable support in both the Assembly and Senate.

The 1999 Lincoln Town Car involved in the San Mateo Bridge tragedy had been modified, as are many limos. It was cut in half, its fuel and electrical lines severed and rebuilt with a larger passenger compartment in the middle. 

An investigation by the CHP concluded the accident was caused by the failure of an air suspension system in the rear of the vehicle. When the system failed, the metal pan beneath the limo’s floorboard scraped against the drive shaft, creating friction and heat that ignited the blaze.

The vehicle was carrying nine passengers, one more than was sanctioned. The driver and four passengers were able to escape the burning limousine through the driver’s partition and survive.

Under current law, only limos with a seating capacity of more than 10 passengers are required to be equipped with a fire extinguisher and undergo an annual CHP safety inspection. 

Limos with a seating capacity of fewer than 10 passengers, like the one that caught on fire, do not have to be equipped with a fire extinguisher and do not have to undergo a CHP inspection. 

Hill’s legislation would close this gap and would improve safety standards for smaller limos by bringing them in line with the safety standards for larger limos. 

Specifically, the bill would:

Require that limos with a seating capacity of less than 10 passengers be equipped with two readily accessible and fully charged fire extinguishers.

Require the CHP to conduct annual safety inspections of stretch limos with a seating capacity of fewer than 10 passengers.

Require an owner of an aftermarket limousine that has been modified to increase passenger capacity to certify to the CPUC and the CHP that the vehicle meets all applicable federal and state motor vehicle safety standards.

The Assembly Appropriations Committee estimates the annual cost of implementing the legislation would be about $900,000, after an initial cost of $1.2 million the first year.

To help cover the cost, the bill allows the CHP to collect a $25 per limo fee from limo operators, generating roughly $312,000. 

SB 338 is supported by the California State Sheriffs’ Association, California Professional Firefighters, California Fire Chiefs Association and Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

The committee meets Friday in the Capitol in Room 4202 following the adjournment of the full house’s regular morning session.