For years, the use of non-conforming, 15-passenger vans for home to school transportation has been one of the industry’s biggest no-nos.
In light of a June 2006 recommendation against using non-conforming vans for school transportation or related activities tied to its Most Wanted List Transportation Safety Improvements, the National Transportation Safety Board was at the scene of a fatal crash in Kentucky that involved a tractor-trailer and a non-conforming van carrying a a couple of Mennoite families to a wedding in Iowa. Eleven people including the truck driver died.
While, the church van was not heading to school, three children ages 1, 3 and 5 were killed. Two other children survived but are at a local hospital. Surely, the resulting accident investigation performed by NTSB will uncover information that the school transportation industry should take note of. There’s the obvious element of safety when comparing school buses with these vans. This economic era also allows for another discussion, albeit related. The industry and individual school districts could use point to this crash when dealing with administrations or school boards that might be interested in other less expensive vehicle options besides school buses.
Schools are prohibited by federal law of purchasing these 15-passenger vans for the purpose of transporting kids to and from school, and similar states have laws or regulations in place that require school buses be used for regular school transportation or related activities, like in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Delaware and Iowa, to name a few. Others restrict the use of non-conforming vans. For example, Colorado state statute allows 15-passenger vans, but self-insurance pool for almost all districts will not insure these vans for transporting students. The Alaska Department of Education, meanwhile, strongly recommends all transportation of school children to or from school or school related activities be on a school bus.
