Why Do 15-Passenger Vans Roll Over?

Just about fifty percent of the 15-passenger van crash fatalities in Louisiana died in roll-over accidents.

Most of these vans are virtually identical in make and concept: the Ford E-350 accounts for 65 percent of van registrations, and the Dodge 3500 and Chevrolet Express 3500 account for another 31 percent.

Is a 15-passenger seating capacity too much for these vans?

These models naturally all react the same way; their center of gravity rises with the number of passengers on board. This is common to all passenger vehicles, but with their greater seating capacity, passenger vans become increasingly difficult to handle and prone to rollovers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) looked at changes in the odds of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash. When the driver is alone in a 15-passenger van, the risk was found to be lower than for SUVs. Adding occupants increased the rollover risk in both types of vehicles by 9 to 12 percent per added passenger. When fully loaded, a passenger van is 400 percent more likely to roll over than when the driver travels alone. For cars, the odds of a rollover crash when fully loaded are 20 percent higher than when driving alone, for pick-ups 50 percent and for SUVs and minivans 100 percent.

These conclusions are closely related to the increased height of the center of gravity in fully loaded vehicles. Fully loading the vehicles meant a 0.9 inches higher center of gravity for minivans, 1.4 inches for 7-passenger vans and 4 inches for 15-passenger vans.

It is once again worth stressing the point that most people die in rollover accidents because they are unrestrained. Passengers securely fastened by seatbelts are far more likely to survive in rollovers.

At the Young Firm in New Orleans we are dedicated to the safety of our clients. If you have been involved in a 15-passenger van accident, contact us for a free evaluation of your case.