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Defective 15-Passenger Van Accident Personal Injury Cases

Randy Barnhart: Counsel or Co-Counsel

15-passenger vans debuted in 1972, when Ford transformed what was built as a cargo van into a passenger vehicle by adding five rows of seats. Today, according to 2008 registrations, there are about 500,000 15-passenger vans on the roads.[n1] For years, the transportation of choice for church groups, schools and athletics organizations, 15-passenger vans are regulated as commercial buses, and subject to few of the safety standards and protections of passenger cars or those that apply specifically to school buses.

Since 1982, the National Transportation Safety Board has regularly issued recommendations aimed at ensuring that school children did not ride in these vans – unless they met the school bus requirements.[n2] (As of 2005, school-aged children are prohibited by federal law from being transported in a 15‐passenger vans for the school-related activities.[n3])

But in 2001, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began to focus more closely on the vehicles’ propensity for rollover, issuing the first of five Consumer Advisories warning motorists of the safety hazards. Government warnings have done little to reduce the death and injury rate in 15-passenger vans. According to independent statistical analysis, there have been 724 fatal rollovers in which at least one occupant of the 15-passenger van died, from 1982 through 2008. In total, 1,153 persons were killed and 1,957 were severely injured. Over a four-year period from 2004-2008, 40 percent of those killed in a rollover crash were riding in 15-passenger vans with 10 or more occupants.[n4]

Fifteen-passenger vans are less stable than other types of vehicles – especially when fully loaded with passengers – because of their high center of gravity. The 15-passenger van is the only vehicle in the U.S. fleet today that is not recommended to be used for its intended purpose. In 2004, NHTSA conducted a study showing that the odds of a 15-passenger van rolling over increases as the number of occupants increases. The study found that the odds increase 400 percent if the van is fully loaded, versus the driver alone.[n5]

Compounding the stability problem which leads to 15-passenger van accidents are tire failures which, on any vehicle with poor stability and handling, increases the chance of a loss of control and subsequent rollovers. According to the one analysis, 15 percent of the fatal van rollovers involved a tire failure.[n6]

Each of the domestic automakers, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler has 15-passenger vans on the road today. Ford makes the E-Series / Econoline. GM makes include the Chevrolet Express / GMC Savanah and Chrysler the Dodge Ram Van / B-Series, which is no longer made.[n7]

In recent years, Ford and GM have taken some steps to improve the safety of their 15-passenger vans. GM has taken the most aggressive steps. Their vans have a longer wheelbase and electronic stability control was added as a standard feature beginning in 2005 model year. GM also implemented rear shoulder lap belts in all positions in 2004 and advanced air bags in the 2007 model year.

Yet, very few of the 15-passenger vans on the road today are equipped with the latest safety features. According to a 2009 NHTSA report, as of July 1, 2007, the latest year for which registration data is available, only about 7 percent of the fleet is model year 2004 or newer.[n8]

Should you need an experienced 15-passenger van accident attorney, either as counsel or as co-counsel, please call my office: 303-377-6700

Sources:
n1 Q & A 15-Passenger Vans; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; December 2009.
n2 Safety Report: Evaluation on the Rollover Propensity of 15-Passenger Vans; National Transportation Safety Board; March 2003.
n3 Fatalities to Occupants of 15-Passenger Vans, 2003-2007; Research Note; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; May 2009.
n4 Deaths in 15-Passenger Van Rollovers, 1982-2008; Randy and Alice Whitfield; Quality Control Systems Corp.; July 29, 2008.
n5 Analysis of Crashes Involving 15-Passenger Vans; Rajesh Subramanian; Technical report; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; May 2004.
n6 Deaths in 15-Passenger Van Rollovers, 1982-2008; Randy and Alice Whitfield; Quality Control Systems Corp. ; July 29, 2008.
n7 Q & A 15-Passenger Vans; Insurance Institute for Highway Safety; December 2009.
n8 Fatalities to Occupants of 15-Passenger Vans, 2003-2007; Research Note; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; May 2009.