About passenger vans
Over 500,000 15-passenger vans are in use in the United States. 15-passenger vans are large vans that typically seat 14 passengers and a driver. There are more than 500,000 15-passenger vans used in the US, commonly used by colleges, churches, and other organizations to transport members on trips and outings. Ford Econoline or E-Series, such as the Ford E350 and Club Wagon E350, the Dodge Ram Wagon B350 and Ram Van/Wagon B3500, the Chevrolet Express 3500 and the GMC Savana 3500 and Rally/Vandura G3500 are among the most popular. The NHTSA has expressed growing concern regarding the safety of 15-passenger vans and the resulting injuries and fatalities.

News Update: June 2004. New data prompted a warning by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the heightened rollover risk of 15-passenger vans. The NHTSA reported that the chances of a passenger van rollover increased significantly at speeds over 50 miles per hour and on curved roads. According to government statistics, between 1990-2002, there were 1,576 fatal crashes involving 15-passenger vans. Of those, 349 were single vehicle rollover crashes.

The data also reinforces previous findings showing that the risk of a 15-passenger rollover increases dramatically as the number of passengers increase. The NHTSA reported that the likelihood of rollover when a van is fully loaded is about five times greater than when the vehicle contains only a driver.

The NHTSA also found that people riding in 15-passenger vans are less likely to wear seat belts. Three-quarters of the 684 people killed in single-vehicle crashes weren't wearing a seat belt. More than half of those killed were partially or totally ejected from the van and almost 90 per cent of those who were ejected weren't wearing seat belts.

NHTSA Administrator said, "It is vitally important that users of 15-passenger vans be aware of these risks." "It is critical that users follow safety precautions to significantly reduce those risks." The NHTSA issued similar warnings in the past. The NHTSA hopes the new warning will alert groups planning trips this summer.

About Large Trucks
Large trucks are only 3% of all vehicles on the road, but they are involved in over 25% of all passenger vehicle occupant deaths in multiple vehicle crashes. In truck related crashes, 98% of the people killed are occupants of the passenger car. The number one cause of crashes involving truck drivers is fatigue. Over the last year, nearly 5,000 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes and nearly 100,000 were involved in non-fatal crashes. Not surprisingly, over 70,000 injuries occurred in crashes involving trucks.