Cruise lines adding new safety drills to improve your safety

(WXYZ) - Cruise lines must now hold passenger safety drills before ever leaving port. The new rules come in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, in Italy,  that killed 16 people and left more than a dozen still missing.

From now on, cruise ships must hold disaster drills right after everyone boards. Up until now, the ships had 24 hours to hold the safety exercises. Cruise lines are also required to make sure every passenger attends the practice. After the Costa Concordia crashed into rocks, as many as 600 passengers said they had not been through the drills and did not know how to find the lifeboats.

By holding the drills before getting underway, passengers will know immediately where their designated life boats are located. The new rules were released by several cruise industry associations.