July 27, 2001, NEW YORK – It’s summertime, and church groups from coast to coast are off to camps, conferences, retreats, the beach and the mountains.   If they're traveling in 15-passenger vans, the National Council of Churches says: "Watch out!" 

Responding to consumer alerts issued by the Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and news of several recent deadly accidents involving church and college groups, the Council has alerted its 140,000 affiliated congregations to the issue, just as the summer travel season reaches its peak.

The National Council’s General Secretary, Robert Edgar, wrote to officials of the NCC’s 36 member denominations to share data from the NHTSA.

That agency’s study of 15-passenger vans, released this spring, warns that the risk of rollover increases dramatically as the number of occupants increases to more than 10 passengers. In fact, 15-passenger vans carrying 10 or more occupants had a rollover rate in single-vehicle crashes nearly three times the rate of those that were lightly loaded, the safety agency reported. 

NHTSA's analysis revealed that the center of gravity in a fully-loaded van shifts rearward and upward, increasing the likelihood of loss of control and rollover in panic maneuvers.

"We felt it was important to raise the caution flag for our churches about the operation of these vans," Dr. Edgar notes.

"Churches should use drivers who understand the unusual handling characteristics of a fully loaded 15-passenger van. In addition, asking all passengers to use their seat belts can dramatically increase the chances of survival if a van is in an accident," Dr. Edgar said.  NHTSA’s analysis shows that four out of five of those who died last year in vehicle rollovers were not buckled up.

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