The Detroit News, "Van rollovers spark driver training, fixes; Churches, schools abandon, modify 15-passenger vehicles

          In Metro Detroit and across the country, fears about the stability and safety of 15-passenger vans have prompted owners churches, child-care centers and white-water rafting operators to rip out seats, arrange special driver training and even install dual rear wheels. Some owners have gone a step further, trading in the vans for small school buses and other vehicles.
          The moves came even before the federal government last week issued its third warning in four years that 15-passenger vans present a serious rollover hazard, particularly when driven fast, on curvy roads or when they are fully loaded with passengers and cargo.
          The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last week that the risk of a rollover crash in a 15-passenger van increases 500 percent at speeds above 50 mph and doubles on curved roads. The risk also increases when the vans are full of passengers, which raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicles more prone to rollovers.
          The large, no-frills vans such as the Ford E-350 and Chevrolet Express are ingrained in American life. They provide transportation for church groups, college sports teams, day-care centers and summer camps. Airport parking lots often use them to shuttle travelers from car to terminal and back. But because they are classified as cargo vehicles, 15-passenger vans do not have to comply with the same safety standards imposed on cars and light trucks. The government does not crash-test them. And no special training is required of those driving the vans.
          NHTSA says 1,111 people died in 15-passenger van crashes between 1990 and 2002, an average of 85 fatalities a year. There are approximately 500,000 of the vans on the road in the United States.