Following the recent tragic limousine accident in Upstate New York, Grace has been contacted by many clients with inquiries about our safety protocol for both vehicles and drivers. As President and CEO, I felt compelled to reach out and offer our take. This accident is a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones. It is unimaginable. As we analyze this horrible event, I think it’s important to look at both the company in question and at what Grace does to avoid similar situations. In doing so, I hope to ease any anxiety you may have about using chauffeured car service.
Prestige Limousine of Wilton, NY, had a long history of violations, with 22 violations in the last 24 months (cbsnews.com). Among their illegal vehicles was the 2001 Ford Excursion Limousine involved in the fatal accident, which failed inspection just one month ago and should not have been on the road (cnn.com). Furthermore, Ford did not approve the cutting and alteration of the limousine, meaning it likely did not have proper support for the additional weight or an upgraded braking system, upgraded suspension, etc. (cbsnews.com). Driver Scott Lisinicchia did not have a CDL license to transport over 15 commercial passengers (nytimes.com), so Prestige had an illegal, unsafe vehicle, operated by an illegal driver.
In contrast, Grace has no material violations on record in 10+ years. Our limousines are all manufacturer-approved modifications (known as “QVM certified”), meaning the vehicle and all parts are made to handle the commercial purposes they serve. Grace employs a full-time certified mechanic who thoroughly inspects each vehicle on a weekly basis to ensure the safety of our drivers and clients. These checks include everything from brakes to tire tread depth to windshield wiper quality, and everything in between. We do not have any vehicles approaching a 2001 model year in our fleet; all of our cars, limousines, and buses are impeccable, late-model vehicles.
All Grace chauffeurs are thoroughly trained prior to ever driving a client. Their extensive training includes certification in Smith System Driver Training (www.drivedifferent.com), the premier driver-training program in the world. Any Grace driver handling more than 15 passengers has a CDL license (Commercial Driver’s License) with passenger endorsement, per Federal Regulation.
Grace does not just maintain the minimum DOT-mandated $1.5 million insurance on our vehicles; instead, we hold a policy for $5 million. This protects Grace, Grace’s chauffeurs, and Grace’s clients.
Low-end, illegal limousine businesses have always existed, and in years past, they served a clientele less concerned with safety and professionalism. In recent years, however, the public perspective on questionable and outright dangerous rides seems to have shifted. More and more of us are perfectly happy literally hitchhiking via an app: jumping into a car with a stranger who is maybe background checked, but never drug tested, into a vehicle that is completely unverified for safety in any way. That’s the new norm for many. But, here at Grace, safety and quality have always been and will continue to be absolutely, unequivocally paramount. We invest in training. We invest in background checks and drug testing before and during employment. We invest in the best vehicles available. We invest in keeping those vehicles safe, and we invest in an insurance policy to protect everyone we care about, in case all else fails.
The accident in New York was a tremendous tragedy on many levels, but the largest tragedy is that it was completely avoidable. That vehicle should have never been on the road. That driver should have never been behind the wheel. If the clients had been aware of how to evaluate a limousine company, they would have never booked with a company that had such terrible reviews and a clearly dangerous product. I think we would all be well served to take whatever lessons we can from this tragedy and to use them to make prudent decisions in the future. Please be assured that Grace is taking a close look internally and doubling down on our safety procedures.
As always, we appreciate your trust in Grace Limousine and Shuttle, and we look forward to providing you, our clients, with safe, consistent, high-quality service for years to come.
For those of you with additional questions or concerns, I invite you to reach out to me directly at michael.campbell@gracelimo.com
Michael Campbell
CEO, Grace Limousine and Shuttle
