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French Catholic School Board bans 15-passenger vans

BY BILL BRADLEY Another school board has banned the controversial 15-passenger vans.

BY BILL BRADLEY

Another school board has banned the controversial 15-passenger vans. Members of the
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) passed a motion Thursday banning the use of the 15-passenger vans for all educational or sports outings.

The safety of the vans was questioned by education authorities in New Brunswick and Ontario after an accident in which seven Bathurst High School basketball players and a local teacher were killed Jan. 12. Their 15-seat 1997 Ford Club Wagon struck a tractor-trailor while returning from a game in Moncton.

“The safety of our students has always been a priority. In the light of recent events in New Brunswick involving this type of vehicle, the Conseil decided to act quickly. We have to ensure that our vehicles and the volunteers that accompany them on educational or sports outings are able to travel safely,” said Andre Bidal. board president.

CSCNO rarely used this van in the past, preferring regular school buses for their transportation needs, said a release from the board. The new policy will have no significant impact on educational and extracurricular activities in their schools, said Patrick Breton, communications officer for the board.

On Jan. 18, New Brunswick banned the use of the vehicles to transport students, until the end of the school year, said Education Minister Kelly Lamrock, in a release. CBC News reported that the sensitivity surrounding the accident in Bathurst prompted Lamrock to ban the further use of the vans.

The Rainbow District School Board has banned the use of 15-passenger vans to transport students, said Jean Hanson, Rainbow District School Board director Jean Hanson Friday, Jan. 18.

“We looked at some of the information our insurer provided us. We believe these vans did provide a good function but in our situation with the tragedy of the crash in New Brunswick recently we decided it best to ensure the safety of our students and drivers,” said Hanson.

The Rainbow Board does not make extensive use of the vehicles, renting them only three times in this past year, Hanson said. Instead, minivans were rented a total of 49 times last year. No major accidents have occurred, said Hanson.

“We found that there are other ways to transport students-small buses, minivans, personal vehicles and large buses, depending on the size of the group,” she said.

The Sudbury Catholic District School Board does not use the vehicles, said Regan Corelli, communications officer.

“We use 15 seater buses because buses come under our regulatory authority so we know they are safe. We do not rent the 15-passenger vans and never will because we   cannot be assured what shape they are in,” said Corelli.

On Thursday, Jan. 17 the Conseil Scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario, also banned the use of 15-passenger vans. Officials said few were used anyways.

The 15-person vans are used by sporting teams and groups because they provide a relatively cheap way to transport students or group members.

However an investigation by CBS News 60 Minutes revealed last spring that the 15-passenger van is one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road in terms of rollover. The vans look like any other van, except they are lengthened to hold more riders.

CBS reported that when the van is fully loaded, it is three times more likely to roll over in an emergency. Since 1990, at least 424 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the U.S. by rollovers of the vans.

In New Brunswick, some athletic directors said that curbing the use of the vans may add so much expense to sports programs they may be discontinued.

Lionel Rudd, a retired engineering technologist at Laurentian University said he drove the buses for 27 years without incident. He said driver fatigue and improper loading of the vehicles may be the cause of many accidents reported. His column on the subject was published in the Weekend Northern Life on page 14.



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