[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2888-H2890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PROMOTING THE SAFE OPERATION OF 15-PASSENGER VANS

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 964) to promote the safe operation of 15 
passenger vans, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 964

       Whereas an organization that owns or operates a 15-
     passenger van should not allow an inexperienced driver of 
     such a van to drive the van because design and handling 
     characteristics of a 15-passenger van make it drive 
     differently than other passenger vehicles;
       Whereas the safety records of drivers experienced in 
     driving a 15-passenger van are significantly better than 
     drivers not experienced in driving such a van;
       Whereas according to the National Highway Traffic Safety 
     Administration, from 1997 through 2006, there were 1,090 
     fatalities of van occupants resulting from crashes involving 
     15-passenger vans of which 534 fatalities resulted from 
     largely preventable single-vehicle rollover crashes of such 
     vans;
       Whereas according to the Insurance Institute for Highway 
     Safety, in 2005, 59 percent of the fatalities in 15-passenger 
     van crashes occurred in single-vehicle rollover crashes, 
     which is higher than the rollover fatality rates for any 
     other passenger vehicle type;
       Whereas 15-passenger vans require special driving skills 
     because they are larger, with higher centers of gravity, 
     which makes them less stable than vehicles such as cars, 
     especially if the van is heavily loaded;
       Whereas adding passengers in a 15-passenger van increases 
     the center of gravity, causing the van to be increasingly 
     difficult to handle and less stable;
       Whereas the death rate for all occupants was higher for 15-
     passenger vans than for other passenger vehicle types 
     combined;
       Whereas during the period 2001 through 2005, the death rate 
     for occupants of 15-passenger vans was 250 fatalities per 
     million registered vehicles compared to 151 fatalities per 
     million of all other registered vehicles;
       Whereas impressing upon 15-passenger van drivers the 
     inherent dangers of operating these vehicles, particularly 
     when fully loaded, and educating them about proper handling 
     and control, particularly during emergency situations, can 
     reduce the risk of rollover, and such training can also help 
     dispel the expectation that these vans operate like large 
     passenger cars;
       Whereas wearing safety belts dramatically increases the 
     chances of survival during a rollover crash;
       Whereas nearly 80 percent of those who died in 15-passenger 
     van rollovers nationwide between 1990 and 2003 were not 
     buckled up;
       Whereas in fatal, single-vehicle rollover crashes involving 
     15-passenger vans over the past decade, 91 percent of 
     occupants wearing safety belts survived; and
       Whereas driver education and training, and general 
     awareness of the dangers of these vans are effective means of 
     reducing the death rates of occupants of 15-passenger vans: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, that the House of Representatives recognizes the 
     need for awareness regarding the increased risks of driving 
     15-passenger vans and encourages any operator of such a 
     vehicle or person who provides transportation in such a 
     vehicle to provide adequate training for drivers and safety 
     information, including the necessity for wearing safety 
     belts, to passengers.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 964.

[[Page H2889]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this issue has been highlighted and brought to the 
attention of the committee by the ranking member, Mr. Duncan. It is his 
resolution and he has been an activist on the committee in highlighting 
the problems of safety with 15-passenger vans. I appreciate his work on 
this issue.
  We are intending to hold a hearing on safety issues, and include some 
testimony from individuals who have had family tragedies because of 
these vans. The vans have had particular problems with single-vehicle 
rollover crashes. They have higher rollover fatality rates than any 
other passenger vehicle type. From 2001 to 2005, the death rate for 15-
passenger vans was 250 per million registered vehicles compared to 151 
per million for all other registered vehicles.
  The committee had formerly noted problems with this, and in the 
SAFETEA-LU legislation which was amended by technical corrections 
earlier by the House, Congress directed the National Highway 
Transportation Safety Administration to test 15-passenger vans as part 
of their rollover resistance program.
  We also prohibited schools from purchasing, renting or leasing 15-
passenger vans to transport students. But there are still a lot of 
these vans on the road. It is imperative that drivers be alerted to the 
increased risk of driving a 15-passenger van compared to a regular 
passenger vehicle. There have been cases even when the occupants, 
particularly children, because of their smaller size, were wearing lap 
and shoulder belts where tragic deaths occurred in some of these 
rollover crashes.
  I look at this resolution as a first step in raising public 
awareness, and I hope that the committee and other committees which 
have jurisdiction in this area will take more definitive action in the 
near future.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank Chairman DeFazio for his 
strong and enthusiastic support for this resolution, and I want to add 
my support for House Resolution 964.
  I introduced this resolution because of a tragic 15-passenger van 
accident last July in which a 10-year-old girl from my hometown of 
Knoxville was killed.
  Alexis ``Lexie'' James was traveling in a 15-passenger van being 
driven by close family friends to Savannah, Georgia, for a softball 
tournament. The driver was not a professional driver with a commercial 
driver's license. In fact, a commercial driver's license is not 
required to drive 15-passenger vans. This van was privately owned, and 
there were only five passengers: the dad and mom, their 16- and 10-
year-old children, and Lexie.
  On July 17, 2007, as the van was traveling east on Interstate 26 near 
St. Matthews, South Carolina, the left rear tire of the van blew out, 
and the van ran off the right side of the highway, down an embankment, 
overturned, struck a fence, crossed the frontage road, and came to rest 
on its side.
  Everyone in the van was wearing a seat belt, but somehow Lexie 
slipped out of her belt and was ejected from the van onto the frontage 
road and was killed.
  I have met with Lexie's dad, Patrick James, and he is asking some 
hard questions about the safety of 15-passenger vans. The resolution we 
are considering today focuses on safety issues that are firmly within 
the jurisdiction of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
regarding driver and passenger behavior, including the need for better 
driver training and passenger safety information.
  A 15-passenger van does not handle or operate like a larger version 
of a passenger car. These vans have a higher center of gravity, which 
makes them less stable and more difficult to handle. In addition, the 
bodies of the vans extend 4 to 5 feet beyond the rear wheels, causing 
instability during emergency maneuvers such as sudden turns. This 
causes the vans to fishtail, and because they are top heavy and may be 
overloaded in the rear, they are prone to roll over and result in 
devastating crashes.
  In May of 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
issued a consumer advisory safety warning to all drivers of these 
vehicles. The precautions that NHTSA recommends for all drivers of 15-
passenger vans are:
  One, keep your passenger load light.
  Two, check your van's tire pressure every week.
  Three, require all occupants to use seat belts or the appropriate 
child restraint.
  Four, if possible, seat passengers and place cargo forward of the 
rear axle.
  Five, do not place loads on the van's roof.
  Six, be very mindful of speed and road conditions.
  Better driver training and more thorough dissemination of safety tips 
like these are the best tools we have right now to help save the lives 
of other children and adults riding in 15-passenger vans.
  As Chairman DeFazio just stated, this resolution is a first step 
towards calling the public's attention to the very dangerous situation 
or condition of some of these 15-passenger vans and how prone they are 
to very serious vehicle accidents.
  I strongly support this resolution and hope to make this important 
safety issue a priority for the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would again congratulate the gentleman. It is sad that such a 
tragedy occurred to one of his constituents. But the best we can do to 
try to make sense of that tragedy is to try and prevent future 
tragedies as a result of these sorts of vehicles.
  It has been fully my intention as chairman of the committee to hold 
hearings on both these vans and some other related safety items that 
have come to the attention of the committee. The reason the hearing has 
been delayed is because the head of the National Highway Transportation 
Safety Administration has been on administrative leave for personal 
reasons. We expect her back in the not-too-distant future, and then 
intend to go ahead.
  But in the interim, by passing this legislation we can at least send 
the message that we have concern and we can try to alert the American 
public, we can try and avert more tragedies.
  I would also point out that our colleagues on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee have substantial jurisdiction in this area. And hopefully as 
they cast their votes for this initiative, this resolution here today, 
they will think about their jurisdiction and perhaps they too will join 
with us in raising concerns.
  With that, I have no further requests for time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. Once again I would 
thank Chairman DeFazio for his support and for his offer to hold a 
hearing on the safety involving these 15-passenger vans. I urge my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution, H. 
Res. 964, which seeks to promote the safe operation of 15-passenger 
vans and highlights an important safety issue. I thank the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for bringing this important issue to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House.
  This resolution encourages all organizations owning or operating a 
15-passenger van not to allow inexperienced drivers to operate these 
vehicles without proper training and education regarding the safe 
operation of these vehicles. The design and handling characteristics of 
15-passenger vans make them different to drive than other passenger 
vehicles.
  The operators of these vehicles must understand the special driving 
skills necessary for their safe operation due to the larger size and 
higher centers of gravity. These characteristics make 15-passenger vans 
less stable than vehicles such as cars.
  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 
1997 through 2006, there were 1,090 fatalities of van occupants 
resulting from crashes involving 15-passenger vans, of which 534 
fatalities resulted from largely preventable single-vehicle rollover 
crashes of such vans.
  Furthermore, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 
in 2005, 59 percent of the fatalities in 15-passenger van crashes

[[Page H2890]]

occurred in single-vehicle rollover crashes, which is higher than the 
rollover fatality rates for any other passenger vehicle type. The 
threat of rollover in these vehicles becomes even greater when 
operators place heavy loads on the roofs of the vans, such as luggage.
  Mr. Speaker, safety belts dramatically increase the chances of 
survival during a rollover crash. Nearly 80 percent of those who died 
in 15-passenger van rollovers nationwide between 1990 and 2003 were not 
buckled up. These striking statistics paint a very clear portrait of 
the dangers associated with 15-passenger vans, and that the operation 
of these vans by inexperienced drivers raises significant safety 
concerns for operators and passengers in these vehicles.
  In the last federal surface transportation act, we made progress on 
this issue. However, more must be done to bring public awareness to 
this critical issue impacting the public safety on our nation's 
roadways. As we embark on the initial stages of our next surface 
transportation authorization bill, we must include the concerns raised 
by H. Res. 964 in our discussions and ensure that the safety problems 
associated with 15-passenger vans are addressed.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 964.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 964, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution promoting the safe 
operation of 15-passenger vans.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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