15 Passenger Vans
With more than half a million 15-passenger vans on the road, and
21,000 continuing to be sold annually, millions of people are at risk
for severe injury when traveling to schools, retreats, camps or community
events due to possible defective products.
Hundreds of individuals traveling in 15-passenger vans have been
reportedly killed and many more injured in single vehicle accidents.
15-passenger vans have been designed with a high center of gravity
which causes the vehicle to have a high propensity for rollover in
a situation where the driver is making emergency maneuvers. The propensity
for the van to rollover dramatically increases as each additional
passenger enters the van.
The National
Highway Traffic and Safety Administration issued a report discussing
the 15-passenger van's propensity for rollover. The report noted that
when loaded with 10 or more occupants, the rollover ratio for 15-passenger
vans is three times that when loaded with five or fewer passengers.
When filled with over fifteen passengers the 15-passenger vans have
a rollover ratio of 70 percent.
Trial
Magazine recently reported that although Ford knew that this design
was inherently dangerous, the company ignored the advice of its engineers
and put its 15-passenger van on the market exposing occupants to the
risk of injury. The president of Public
Citizen, Joan Claybrook, remarked that "these vehicles need a
major design overhaul" and another expert noted that the Ford E350
15-passenger van "ranks as one of the most dangerous passenger vehicles
for rollover ever built." Furthermore, the National Transportation
Safety Board sent Ford a Safety Recommendation, informing the company
that the vans were hazardous and in need of modification.
GuideOne Insurance has also issued a report warning their clients
of the dangers of this van stating the vans are "inherently unsafe."
As a result, GuideOne has stopped selling new policies for the 15-passenger
vans; this is the first time in the company's 55-year history that
GuideOne has eliminated a line of coverage for safety reasons.
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