When a Florida limousine driver ferrying 10 teens to their high school prom at Disney World was arrested on drunk driving charges, the news likely shocked parents across the country who've been depending on limo services to keep their children safe on prom night.
According to authorities, the driver, a 49-year-old woman with a prior DUI charge, was so intoxicated during the April 9 incident that she was driving on the wrong side of the road and cutting off other vehicles.
Fortunately, the teens, all decked out in their tuxedos and prom gowns, persuaded the driver to pull over and grabbed the keys out of the ignition.
Generally, preventing your teens from getting behind the wheel with a carload of their friends on prom night is a very wise decision.
But as the Florida incident illustrates, paying hundreds of dollars for limos does not always guarantee a safe or smooth ride to the prom. Nor does it guarantee that you're putting your kids in a licensed and insured vehicle.
In the last five years, the state agency that oversees limo services in California has issued 55 citations and two permanent injunctions, and it has opened seven investigations targeting alleged violators.
Some of the recent actions by the state involve limo services that failed to comply with drug and alcohol testing, operated charter-party limos without proper permits or insurance and allowed improperly licensed drivers to drive larger vehicles. (For more details on these companies and the investigations, go to www.cpuc.ca.gov.)
The agency, the California Public Utilities Commission, requires limousine companies to obtain permits or certificates in order to operate, according to spokeswoman Terrie Prosper. Companies are also required to have a license and proof of adequate liability insurance for all the vehicles in their fleet.
Many of the larger stretch limos -- including Hummers or SUVs that are as long as 32 feet and can seat as many as 24 passengers -- are required to undergo a California Highway Patrol safety inspection and approval process because of their size.
Statewide, there are about 3,800 licensed passenger firms. The majority are limousine services, according to the commission. There's also an untold number of unlicensed and uninsured limo services that operate illegally in the state, say owners of some legitimate limo companies.
