If you hold the responsibility of making travel plans for a group, such as members of a team, church or small school, you may be thinking about taking a trip in the following months. It may be that you want everyone to travel together, but a coach bus is too large for your purposes. If that’s the case, you may want to charter a van to make the trek.
Before you charter a van and take off on your adventure, there are some important safety issues you need to consider. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that vans can be more prone to experiencing rollovers than other types of vehicles.
The NHTSA cites three factors that could increase the likelihood of van rollovers, which are:
- Improperly loaded passengers and cargo that affect the van’s center of gravity.
- Tires that are the wrong size or improperly inflated.
- Drivers who lack experience.
To better ensure the safety of van occupants, the NHTSA offers a number of recommendations. For example, before taking off on a trip, a vehicle inspection should be performed. Tires should be checked to make sure they are roadworthy, and worn tires need to be replaced. In addition, the vehicle’s weight should not be greater than its Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
It is also important that the driver is experienced and properly trained to operate the van. Moreover, drivers should be well rested and never drive when fatigued. Fatigue can seriously hamper a driver’s ability to respond to the conditions of the road.
If you charter a van for a group trip, hopefully, all will go well, and you will have a wonderful time. However, should you and your group has the misfortune of being in an accident which you believe was due to negligence on behalf of the van’s driver or chartering company, you may wish to contact a commercial vehicle accident attorney.
Accident cases involving commercial vehicles and drivers can become extremely complex. An experienced attorney can work to not only help you prove liability but also to help you choose the most appropriate manner in which to pursue compensation.
