30 JUNE 2018 • FOGHORN SAFETYMATTERS operating on land, brought attention to the amphibious fleet. The APV Duck 6 in Seattle struck a tour bus following the failure of one of theAPVs axles, and anAPV in Boston collided with a cyclist at an intersection. Since these accidents occurred on the road, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had jurisdiction over the investigations. The NTSB de- termined that the probable cause of the Duck 6 incident was a mechanical failure of the left front axle housing due to improper manufacture and in- adequate maintenance resulting is a loss of vehicle control. A contributing factor to passenger injuries was a lack of “occupant crash protections” (read – seat belts) in the APV. In the Boston accident, the NTSB determined the DUKW design provided blind spots for the driver and that the driver was preoccupied with tour narration duties. In January 2017, as a result of the Duck 6 investigation, NTSB issued new safety recommendations, including three to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, two to the Coast Guard, three to Ride the Ducks International, one to Ride the Ducks of Seattle, and the following recommen- dations to PVA: “Notify all your amphibious passenger vehicle (APV) operator members of the importance of the following: 1. Learning the lessons from the Seattle, Washington, and Boston, Massachusetts, crashes; 2. Completing proper maintenance and service bulletin repairs; 3. Using the pre-trip safety orientation to tell passengers of APVs equipped with passenger seat belts to unbuckle their belts before theAPV begins any marine operations; 4. Conducting a visual inspection to ensure that passengers have unbuckled their seat belts prior to water entry; 5. Reducing the risk of driver distrac- tion by having a tour guide conduct each tour; 6. Managing risk in tour operations by addressing such factors as driver distraction, route planning, vehicle characteristics, traffic density, and vehicle speed; and 7. Conducting operations according to Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular 1-01 guidance and US Coast Guard Safety Alerts.” Informative Summit In cooperation with the American Bus Association, PVA hosted an