•  NASDPTS Position Paper: The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services opposes the use of vans that do not comply with federal school bus safety standards. The association explains its views in this Position Paper titled "Passenger Vans Used as School Buses.

GuideOne Insurance: 15-Passenger Van Resource Page

• (May 2002) This is a white paper outlining GuideOne Insurance's position relating to church and school use of 15-passenger vans.
• Fifteen-Passenger Vans Pose Safety Risk -- Summary of inherent dangers and key safety practices for owners of 15-passenger vans.

• 15-Passenger Van Safety and Rollover Risks and Accidents Investigation. A summary of the controversy surrounding the use of 15-passenger vans by the law offices of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. The firm has offices in San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C. and Nashville.

• 15-Passenger Vans: Legal but Lethal. An excellent summary of the risks associated with 15-passenger vans by the Safetyforum.org, published to the World Wide Web by the Hogan Law Office, P.C.of Birmingham, Alabama. This law office has represented several plaintiffs in lawsuits stemming from fatal accidents involving the use of these vehicles.

• Risk Management Briefing: The 15-Passenger Van Controversy A review of the controversey surrounding the use of 15-passenger vans. The article appears on the website of the OutdoorEd.com, an association that provides online articles on a range of outdoor education and experiential education topics. Interest in the controversey springs fromthe fact that many vans are use in outdoor adverture activities.

• (June 13, 2002) Illinois State Board of Education State education agency issues a Fact Sheet about 11-15 passenger vans, lays out risks to school districts if they use these vehicles in their fleets.

• Is it Legal for Texas Private Schools to Transport Students in 15-Passenger Vans? Presented in Q&A form, this is discussion of van usage by the School Office Services, a co-op serving schools, churches and nonprofits in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area.

• A discussion of "15 Passenger Van Stability Hazards" by Strategic Safety, LLC. This private company specializes in motor vehicle issues and provides research, investigation, analysis, and education on safety issues.

• University of Washington on 15-Passenger Vans. Following cautionary advisory of NHTSA, the University of Washington reissued a cautionary advisory to users of vehicles from its Motor Pool.

• (2002) Washington State Department of Transportation Safety Advisory: State agency cautions users throughout State of Washington about safety risks of 15-passenger vans

• National Council of Churches Cautions Churches on Safety Risks of Fully-Loaded 15-Passenger Vans. (July 27, 2001)

• Indiana University Bans 12, 15 Passenger Van Use. (April 17, 2001)

• State of Oregon, Risk Management Division, issues a caution about the Rollover Hazard of 15-Passenger Vans to state departments following April 9, 2001 Consumer Advisory by NHTSA.

• National Collegiate Athletic Association (April 9, 2001) Federal panel warns of rollover risk for 15-passenger vans. Cautions aginst use of vans for student athletic or other field trips.

• University of Virginia (March 12, 2002): Memorandum to University Vice Presidents, Department Heads and Deans on "Policy on Phasing Out the Use of 15-Passenger Vans." Based on an advisory from the State Division of Risk Management

• University of Vermont (July, 2001) Campus Advisory: Increased Risk of Rollovers with 15-Passenger Vans. Advisory issued to all departments and offices that use 15-passenger vans from the university's Department of Risk Management.

• University of Wisconsin Policy on 15-Passenger Vans, effective July 1, 2002. The policy sets strict conditions under which students and university personnel may use 15-passenger vans.

• University of Lethbridge (B.C., Canada) provides a series of Frequently Asked Questions about the use of 15-passenger vans. Discusses safety, legal and insurance considerations before renting one of these vans for use in British Columbia.

• 15-Passenger vans are not school buses! By James Kraemer. From the 2safeschool.org web site, the author asks why schools and other transportation providers use vans and undertained drivers to transport children when school buses are much safer?

• American Camping Association (May 2002) The national association published CampLine on its web site. It offers an update on 15-passenger vans. The ACA discusses NHTSA's concerns about vans including a brief review of pertinent federal regulations, safety concerns with vans, pending legislative developments (i.e. H.R. 3296), and offers more than a dozen tips of what camps and campgrounds can do to reduce the risk posed to campers by 15-passenger vans.

• Colorado School District Self Insurance Pool votes to ban insurance coveratge of 15-passenge non-conforming vans. CSDSIP proposed four-and-a-half year phase out, starting in July 2002. Click here to read more about this important development.

• ATU Position Statement As part of its Moving America Safely Legislative Agenda for 2001, the Amalgamated Transit Union supports Federal incentives for states to prohibit the use of vans and minivans that do not meet Federal safety standards for school buses to transport children to and from school and school-related activities.

• Precautions reduce dangers of van-related travel: (August 28, 2000) College teams frequently travel to meets in 15-passenger vans. This news article from the website of the National Collegiate Athletic Association calls "van travel a risky business." It offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of van travel, and recounts many of the van rollover accidents that have cliamed the lives of numerous college athletes. The article also offers several suggestions for safer team travel. For a description of several van rollover accidents involving collegiate teams visit the website of the Safetyforum.org sponsored by the Hogan Law Offices.

• Shortly after the case involving the fatality of six-year-old Jacob Strebler was settled in the plaintiffs favor, the insurers for the Independent Schools Association of the Central States issued a memo to members about the case. In the memo, written by Cory & Associates, an independent insurance broker for the ISACS, author Peter Schindel cautions member schools, "This case has a definite adverse impact on a school's liability when using 15-passenger vans." Further, he writes, "Schools should avoid using these vehicles if possible and practical." Click here to read this important statement from an independent insurance broker.

• Safety Center of the United States Air Force issues a "15 Passenger Van Safety Advisory" to Air Force personnel, following publication of Consumer Advisory by NHTSA.

• Safety Center of the United States Navy issues a Hazard Alert: 15-passenger vans to Navy and Marine personnel. Media Center publishes The Scoop on 15-Passenger Vans.

•  NAAD on Vans: Comment to the docket by the National Association of Automobile Dealers about vans as school buses.

• Ensuring the Safety of Our Children: 12/17/99 A letter to the Governor of Arkansas by U.S. Senators John McCain and Ernest F. Hollins, and Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

• Statement by Rep. Mark Udall (R-CO) upon introduction of proposed legislation to close a loophole in federal law that allows schools to purchase 15 passenger non-conforming vans, August 30, 2001