PHOENIX — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the limousine crash that killed 20 people in upstate New York Saturday. The limo was taking a group of people to a birthday party when it plowed through a stop sign, went through a parking lot and crashed into a ravine.
It's the deadliest road accident in the U.S. since 2009, and the limo reportedly should never have been on the road in the first place. It had failed inspection, and the driver did not have the appropriate license, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Many people rent limos for special occasions. But how safe are they?
To understand what's expected of Arizona's limousine industry, we went to the Arizona Department of Transportation’s guide for limo companies and talked to the Arizona Limousine Association, basically the trade association for limo companies.
They say what's on paper is not what's regulated in the real world.
According to ADOT, limos of 14 passengers or under are regulated by the state under the "Vehicle for Hire” licensing rules.
They must have paperwork proving drivers are up to date on criminal background checks, drug testing records and maintenance records.
And they must be subject to on-site compliance inspections.
Penalties for failing to comply result in fines up to $1,500 for each infraction.
So 12 News can verify there are several hurdles limo companies must follow to operate safely in Arizona. At least, that's the way it is on paper.
"Actually over the last four years it's decreased quite a bit. And now it's not regulated like it should be," said Mary Ann Cleary, owner of one of the state’s largest limo companies, JET Limousines, and a member of the Arizona Limousine Association.
The association argues that limos of all sizes—from sedans to party buses—are on the road every day that are not properly registered, and they have little pressure to be compliant.
“They're not as strict as far as the law as people buying limousines, operating them, the legality behind it, the type of driver's license you need, background checks, fingerprinting."
Cleary says it used to be that an agent of the Arizona Department of Weights and Measures conducted surprise inspections at big entertainment events to weed out legit limo drivers from the phonies, but not anymore.
Vehicles like party buses holding 15 passengers or more are more likely to undergo an audit, she says, because they are regulated by the feds.
Look for a USDOT federal license number on the sides of larger passenger vehicles to know they are registered.
But no matter what size of limo, the association alleges, that drivers who don't register at all face few repercussions.
"We pay a lot of money to be in compliance with the laws. And yet there are other people out there running, and safety is our main concern with our passengers. And we're seeing a lot of that kind of slip away,” Cleary said.