Safety
RecommendationThe General Board Church of the Nazarene has been requested by
the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to forward the information in this article
to the widest possible audience. The article below addresses the NTSB's safety
recommendation H-99-25 regarding passenger vehicles that do not conform to federal
guidelines. The General Secretary urges each local church and district to closely review
this investigative material.
In 1999, the National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a special investigation on the use of nonconforming buses
for pupil transportation after it investigated four accidents in 1998 and 1999 involving
vehicles not built to federal school bus structural standards. Three of the accidents
involved 15-passenger vans and one involved a 25-passenger specialty bus. Nine people were
killed and 36 were seriously injured, most of them children, in the four accidents. All of
the vehicles in these accidents were "nonconforming buses" - vehicles that carry more than
10 persons but do not meet federal occupant crash protection standards for school
buses.
The federal government requires large and small school buses that transport
children to and from school and school-related activities to have roof rollover
protection, energy-absorbing seats, and greater body joint strength than most other types
of vehicles. These standards have had an enormous impact on the safety of student
transportation; on average fewer than 10 school bus passengers are fatally injured each
year. Yet, a disturbing trend has emerged in which children are being transported in
vehicles that are not built to these same safety standards, thus not providing a similar
level of protection.
The NTSB's investigation showed that state laws vary widely
regarding the use of these vans to transport children for school-related activities. A
partial survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation
Services indicated that 6 states allowed their use in transportation to/from school, 13
states allowed their use in school-related activities, and 23 states allow their use in
daycare centers. The NTSB also noted a disturbing trend indicating that organizations are
increasingly using nonconforming vehicles rather than buses built to federal occupant
protection standards for school buses to transport children. When children are transported
in vehicles not meeting federal standards, they are at greater risk of fatal or serious
injury in the event of an accident.
Fifteen-passenger vans, which make up about
0.25 percent of the passenger vehicle fleet in the United States, are frequently used to
transport school sports teams, van pools, church groups, and other groups. Although they
are involved in a proportionate number of fatal accidents compared to their percentage in
the fleet, they are involved in a higher number of single-vehicle accidents involving
rollovers than are other passenger vehicles. Various factors have been associated with 15
-passenger van rollover, particularly occupancy level and vehicle speed. Because these
vans are designed to carry 15 passengers, the NTSB is particularly concerned about the
relationship between occupancy level and vehicle rollover. Fully loading or nearly loading
a 15-passenger van causes the center of gravity to move rearward and upward, which
increases its rollover propensity and could increase the potential for driver loss of
control in emergency maneuvers.
The NTSB is convinced that the best way to maximize
pupil transportation safety is to ensure that all vehicles carrying more than 10
passengers and transporting children to and from school, school activities, daycare
centers, Head Start programs, etc., meet federal school bus construction standards. In
addition, in 2002, GuideOne Insurance, a leading insurer of churches in the United States,
developed an educational campaign for owners of 15-passenger vans that discourages their
use.
The complete NTSB Special Investigation Report can be accessed on the web at
www.ntsb.gov.