UNLV stops using 15-passenger vans

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005 | 8:59 a.m.

Because the rollover that killed eight University of Utah students and their instructor last month involved a 15-passenger van, UNLV has quit using that type of van to transport students and faculty.

The deadly rollover renewed questions about the inherent safety of vans that size, and while there is nothing wrong with the vehicles in UNLV's motor pool, officials wanted to "err on the side of safety," said Thomas M. Hagge, associate vice president for facilities management and planning.

Fifteen-passenger vans are more prone to rollovers than any other vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the risk for rollovers increases when the vans are carrying more than 10 passengers.

The agency has banned the sale of the vans to public school districts and has warned colleges and nonprofit organizations to not overload the vans, to regularly check tire pressure and to allow only experienced drivers to operate the vehicles.

One of UNLV's 15-passenger vans will be sold and the other is being turned into a cargo van, Hagge said.

The university still owns and rents out to academic departments seven 12-passenger vans, seven nine-passenger SUVS, six five-passenger SUVS and seven four-passenger sedans.

Department heads must approve all rentals, Hagge said, but the university requires only that drivers have a valid Nevada license.

"Our approach to safety is that we rely on good maintenance and the common sense of the driver," Hagge said.

The college is moving toward selling most of its motor pool because the university has found it is often cheaper to rent vehicles through Enterprise, the state-contracted rental agency, than to maintain its own vehicles, Hagge said.