Everything You Need To Know About Passenger Van Safety

Updated 4/23/2018

The hazards  of 12 and 15 passenger vans has been widely publicized. With over 750,000 on the roads today it’s a vehicle commonly used by Churches, Colleges and many Government Departments, just to name a few. There is documented proof that when a 12 or 15 passenger van is fully loaded it is three tImes more likely to roll over in an emergency situation.

The good news is, there is a revolutionary, patented product, RoadActive Suspension (RAS), that when fitted to these vehicles will significantly improve the road holding, load carrying and above all SAFETY.

Not Just For Trucks

Although the vast majority of kits that RoadActive Suspension manufacture are for pickups  trucks.  To prove how much safer 12 and 15 passenger vans can be made, RAS decided to have independent tests performed at the Transportation Research Center (TRC) in Liberty, OH. After two days of extensive tests, performed with and without the RAS on a 15 passenger van. The tests proved concisely that when the RAS is installed, the stability and handling is greatly improved.  These tests were so impressive that the Salvation Army and six of the major insurance companies now strongly recommend or require RAS be installed on all passenger vans they insure.

Everything You Need

RAS combines the function of a helper spring, sway bar and traction bars all in one product. No other rear leaf spring products on the market can provide all these benefits in one product. It must be understood that complete rollover elimination on 12 and 15 passenger vans is impossible due to the vehicles design and complexity of a rollover event.  But with the addition of the RoadActive Suspension system installed, the vehicle will become safer and less prone to rollover.

What You Need To Know

The design and physics of a passenger van are completely different than any passenger vehicle on the road thus, they will handle and drive completely different. Most states have completely outlawed the use of 12 and 15 passenger vans as school transportation due to the safety risk, nearly all universities, churches and organizations that  use the vans require the completion of a driver training program before a van can even be driven.

Contributing Factors:

According to the NHTSA, one of the primary cause of 15 passenger van rollover accidents are tire blowouts.  Tire blowouts lead to lack of driver control and oversteer, this is a recipe for disaster, especially when the vans are over loaded. NHTSA  also recommends  ALWAYS check the tire tread depth and pressure before driving,

The major automobile manufacturers have implemented their form of stability control, to nearly all of their line of vehicles to make their vehicles  safer. However, many people assume that this feature is  the solution, when in fact its is often not enough.  This addition helps  during a skid or slide, but does nothing for the rear leaf spring suspension. RoadActive Suspension hits the root of the problem by holding the rear leaf springs in there optimum bowed shape at all times, turning the normal passive leaf spring suspension into an active suspension system, this will not allowing the wheels to tuck under the wheel arch, causing the vehicle to lean when going round a curve in the road and help greatly during a sudden maneuver.

Learn more about how RAS can make your 15 passenger van safer.