Here's an FAQ excerpt from the National Bus Sales and Leasing, Inc.:

"Q- Are 15 passenger vans really that unsafe?

A - Here are some facts that will help you decide for yourself:

-The National Transportation Safety Board has taken a strong stance against the use of these vehicles.

-It is actually "illegal" for a dealership to sell a new 15 passenger van to any school (public or private) or church for the purpose of transporting students.

-Hundreds of people have died in the past 10 years in van roll-over accidents.

-There is no structural support in the roof of a van. In the event of a roll-over accident, these vehicles will "cave in," crushing the passengers.

-Many insurance companies will no longer insure these vans.

Q - How are your buses safer than 15 passenger vans?

A - Each vehicle has dual rear wheels for stability on the road.

-Steel cage construction (offered on all of our buses) means that there are steel supports in each of the side walls and ceilings. Passengers are actually sitting in a steel roll cage.

-Rigorous testing is completed for each model of bus we represent that demonstrates the bus meets or exceeds a long list of federal and state safety standards."

From the Vancouver Sun: "B.C. will not order schools to stop using 15-passenger vans to transport students to extra-curricular events, despite lessons learned in New Brunswick after the crash of a van claimed the lives of seven student athletes." Click here for full story.

"Colleges and universities in Montana are phasing out use of their 12- and 15-passenger vans for field trips because of the vehicles' poor safety record...."

Unfortunately, "UM plans to sell the 12- and 15-passenger vans. Money from that will go toward purchasing the new vehicles." See article here.

Why sell these dangerous and defective 15-passenger van traps to unsuspecting others? Will UM inform potential buyers why they are being sold? This is horror.

This, on a website half way around the world:

"Sean Kane, a safety advocate who has researched the steering issue, referring to the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act, passed in 2000 after congressional investigations into the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires, said, 'It has the appearance of being a criminal investigation under the TREAD Act. NHTSA has a strong case that Toyota may have misled the agency about the defect.'" Click here for full story.

"A Taylorsville woman was airlifted to University Hospital in serious condition Tuesday afternoon after the 15-passenger Chevrolet van she was driving turned over on eastbound Interstate 80, the authorities say." Click here to see news report by the Park Record of Park City, Utah.

From an article by Joey Bunch writing for the Denver Post:

"Fifteen-passenger vans have had a history of fatal rollovers long before the Thursday crash involving a 2002 Ford van that killed one and injured 15 other ministry students from Federal Heights.

Fifteen-passenger vans roll over 52 percent of the time when involved in single-vehicle accident, and 82 percent of those rollovers result in a fatality, according to a 2002 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study prompted by a spate of deadly crashes."

Click here for full article.