Since 1970, the sales of multipurpose vans have increased threefold. Vans are popular because of their versatility; outdoorsmen, small businessmen, service technicians, and the 'weekend vanner' are using vans for personal transportation, business operations, and weekend outings. In fact, in the near future, vans are expected to replace the station wagon. Many owners have customized the interiors of their vans with sinks, bars, refrigerators, beds, and paneling to make them more convenient. Currently, there are no standards or voluntary specifications on how to install these types of items to the van structure. As a result, in a crash environment, they often break loose and injure or kill the van occupants. The National Transportation Safety Board has investigated 18 low-to-moderate speed crashes involving vans to collect data for this study. We have evaluated the crashworthiness of vans from the following standpoints: Injury-producing environments, occupant restraints, crashworthiness, postcrash fires, and ease or difficulty of escape. Further, several existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards do not apply to vans. These include Standards 201, 202, 203, 204, 212, 214, 215, and 216. In addition the Safety Board has evaluated the standards listed above as they affect each of the five main areas of investigation.


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    Safety of commercial vans

    Benzinger,K.J. / Kaiser,H.H. / Daimler,Stuttgart,DE | Automotive engineering | 2008


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