Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | T | Trial

The risky ride of the 15-passenger van: automakers'' internal documents show that they wanted to get high-capacity vans to market quickly and cheaply. To do so, they dismissed safer alternative designs.

Article Excerpt
More than half a million 15-passenger vans travel the nation's roadways today. The vans are used primarily to transport church groups, day-care children, high school and college athletes, and other groups. Over the past few years, hundreds of people have been killed or seriously injured in crashes involving these vans. The stories are heart-wrenching.

* In March 2001, two people were killed and 10 injured when a van transporting homeless people from Los Angeles to a church ministry in Chicago overturned five miles east of the New Mexico-Texas state line.

* In May 2001, four people were killed and eight injured when a van carrying members of the First Assembly of God Church in Burkburnett, Texas, rolled over after a tire blew out.

* Also in May 2001, a teenager was critically injured when a van carrying Boy Scouts flipped after being hit by another vehicle.

* In June 2002, five firefighters traveling from Oregon to battle wildfires in Colorado were killed when the van in which they were riding rolled over.

Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and General Motors dominate the U.S. market for 15-passenger vans, with Ford manufacturing and selling 80 percent of the 21,000 vans sold yearly. (1) One researcher has analyzed crash data and concluded that the Ford Super Club Wagon "ranks as one of the most dangerous passenger vehicles for rollovers ever built." (2)

A recent analysis of the federal government's Fatal Accident Reporting System data shows that 919 people were killed or suffered incapacitating injuries in 214 rollover crashes involving 1981 to 1999 model year Ford E-350 Super Club Wagons. (3) During the same period, 662 people were killed or severely injured in 1981 to 1999 model year E-350 single-vehicle rollover crashes. (4) Of all fatal, single-vehicle crashes involving the E-350, 79 percent were rollover accidents. (5) Another study notes that 7,758 years of life were lost in E-350 single-vehicle rollover accidents and that 10,777 years of life were lost in all E-350 rollover crashes. (6)

Studies like these, as well as lawsuits, have prompted organizations that use 15-passenger vans to recognize that the vehicles have serious design defects. As a result, many groups have limited or discontinued their use.

For example, the New York Times reported in August 2002 that the U.S. Marine Corps was considering "limiting the use of the vans because of safety concerns" and that the Marine Corps had issued a safety alert to all of its personnel who use them. (7)

The same article reports that some insurance companies refuse to insure the vans because rollover crashes kill and injure passengers at an alarming rate. (8) GuideOne, a major insurer of church vehicles, issued a report in 2002 that states, "GuideOne believes 15-passenger vans [are] inherently unsafe. We encourage our policyholders to strongly consider other transportation options." (9) Church Mutual and Brotherhood Mutual--two other large insurers--have also issued safety warnings. (10)

Even the van manufacturers implicitly acknowledge safety problems. For example, Ford has conceded publicly that the vans are difficult to handle. (11) Not surprisingly, however, the automaker blames accidents on overloading and driver error.

Flawed design

Fifteen-passenger vans have three primary safety problems. The vans are

* unstable when loaded with 10 or more passengers, leading to a significant increase in the risk of rollover crashes.

* difficult to handle under fully loaded conditions because they are susceptible to oversteer in...