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Greater Risk of Rollover Accidents In 15 Passenger Vans

On June 1, 2004, Dr. Jeffrey Runge, head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administraton (NHTSA), issued a warning to users of 15-passenger vans, as well as extended 12-passenger vans, because of an increased rollover risk under certain conditions. Similar warnings were issued in 2001 and 2002. These warnings were reissued by NHTSA in May of 2006.

15 Passenger Van Safety: Government Warnings

NHTSA has reported that 15-passenger vans handle similarly to large sport utility vehicles when lightly loaded. But when filled with passengers, or driven above 50 miles per hour, the vehicles become substantially more unstable than SUVs or pickup trucks. Large vans are five times more likely to roll over when filled than when only the driver is in the vehicle, the report said.
  • The risk of a rollover crash increases greatly when 10 or more people ride in a 15-passenger van because the additional passenger weight raises the vehicle’s center of gravity and causes it to shift rearward.
      
  • The risk of a rollover increases greatly when a cargo load is placed on the roof because it also raised the center of gravity.
      
  • In studies of single-vehicle crashes, more than 90 percent of rollovers occur after a driver has lost control of the vehicle and has run off the road.
      
  • Three major situations can lead to a rollover in a 15-passenger van:
    • The van goes off a rural road and may overturn when it strikes a ditch or embankment or when it is tripped by an object or runs onto soft soil,
    • The driver is fatigued or driving too fast for conditions and loses control when traveling at a high speed causing the van to slide sideways off the road often into the grassy or dirt medians that line highways, causing the van to overturn when the tires dig into the dirt, and
    • The driver overcorrects the steering as a panic reaction to an emergency or to a wheel dropping off the pavement, causing the driver to lose control, resulting in the van sliding sideways and rolling over.

15 Passenger Van Rollover Accident Attorneys/Lawyers

Persons who have been injured in accidents involving a 15-passenger, 12-passenger, 10-passenger, or cargo van, or family members of loved ones who have died, who would like to learn more about their legal rights, are welcome to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser by clicking here. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case.

Alternatively, you may call Lieff Cabraser toll-free at 1-866-313-1973 and ask to speak to partner Kathryn E. Barnett.
  

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