Anti-lock brakes to prevent a collision, air bags in case one is inevitable.
That`s what cars are made of.
Side-door guard beams to protect occupants, high-mounted rear brake lights to warn trailing motorists of an impending stop.
And if the worst should happen, roofs designed for minimal crush so the people inside aren`t sandwiched in the metal compartment.
That`s also what cars are made of.
When it comes to safety, today`s auto serves to guard against dangers front to rear, top to bottom.
But what about mini-vans, the roughly 6-year-old phenomenon on the market that accounts for about 1 million sales annually?
What about the safety of mini-vans that carry mothers and their kids to the school or to the mall, and families to their vacation spa?
The fact is, these vans caught federal regulators by surprise. Though designed as people-haulers, mini-vans were classified as trucks in terms of safety regulations.
And trucks didn`t fall under the same regulations as cars. The federal government wanted automakers to build safer cars, the vehicle of choice by more than three of four buyers a decade ago.
So the government dictated safety regulations for cars and let the automakers hold off adopting the same standards for trucks. After all, the vast majority of people drove or rode in cars, not trucks. Let the automakers devote their time and money to meeting regulations that would do the most good-in cars.
”Mini-vans haven`t fallen under the same regulation as cars only because they were classified, and still are classified, as trucks,” said Thomas O`Grady, president of Integrated Automotive Resources of Wayne, Pa.
”Buyers of mini-vans have become more safety conscious than buyers of sedans or coupes because the mini-vans are primarily used to haul kids; that`s why they were built,” O`Grady said. ”There`s a greater demand for safety in mini-vans-there has to be-because they carry the wife and kids.”
Federal regulations are catching up with vans slowly. Passive restraints- belts that automatically wrap around occupants or air bags that deploy in a collision-will be mandated in 20 percent of each manufacturer`s mini-vans for 1995. That moves up to 50 percent of all vans in 1996, 90 percent in 1997 and 100 percent in 1998.
Side-door guard beams that prevent penetration into the passenger compartment from an impact are mandated for 1994.
A high-mounted rear brake light, which gives following motorists a more visible sign of your stopping intentions than normal brake lights mounted at fender level, will be required in 1994.
And crush protection that mandates a roof shall not depress more than five inches in a rollover is on the books for 1994 as well.
The good news is that the automakers haven`t waited for 1994 or 1995 to implement safety standards.
”There`s very little difference between the safety of cars and the safety of vans,” said David Cole, director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
”If you`re sitting on the back floor unbelted in a van, no you aren`t as safe as in a car,” he said. ”But if you`re in a seat belt, yes, you`re just as safe.”
Cole added: ”The automakers went ahead in adding safety systems in their vans before the onslaught of federal regulations.”
For example, a driver-side air bag is standard for the 1992 model year in the Toyota Previa, Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and Ford Aerostar.
Side-door guard beams are found in the Previa, Chevrolet Lumina, Pontiac Trans Sport and Oldsmobile Silhouette.
Rear-seat lap and shoulder belts are offered in every mini-van.
The only vans not meeting the `94 roof-crush standard for `92 are the Chevy Astro and GMC Safari.
”Mini-vans have become the ultimate family vehicle, and safety has constantly evolved in them,” said Marty Levine, general manager of Chrysler Corp.`s Dodge division.
”Safety appeals to consumers now. It`s no longer at the bottom of the list of the buying decisions. It`s moved from the bottom and is climbing,” he said.
Mini-van makers say they`ve shown their concern for safety by adding systems that haven`t been required.
Four-wheel anti-lock brakes, for example, which prevent wheel lockup in a panic situation regardless of road surface, are standard in the Lumina, Astro, Trans Sport, Silhouette, Safari and Town & Country.
Rear-wheel ABS is standard on the Mazda MPV and Aerostar, and four-wheel ABS is optional on the Previa, Voyager, Caravan and new Volkswagen EuroVan.
Some mini-van producers claim extra safety from offering four-wheel drive for improved traction on snow- and rain-soaked roadways.
Astro, MPV, Previa, Aerostar, Voyager, Caravan, Town & Country, Safari and EuroVan offer all-wheel-drive versions or an all-wheel-drive option.
Mini-van makers also argue the basic design of the vehicle addresses safety. Vans typically stand taller than cars, so side impacts aren`t at chest level as in cars. Vans also have longer hoods to provide added crush space between the occupants and point of impact.
You`ll notice the Previa name appeared often among those offering safety features. Toyota boasts that its 1992 Previa meets all car safety standards.
Toyota recently received substantial favorable publicity over its safety systems. But competitors point to the many safety features of their vans, too. Toyota and Chrysler, for example, offer optional ABS, standard driver-side air bag, rear seat belts and high-mounted brake light, and both meet the federal rollover standard. Chrysler comes up short only by not having side-door guard beams.
”We`re confident of our leadership in safety just as our leadership in sales,” Levine said, noting Chrysler offers a feature neither Toyota nor any other has-built-in child safety seats.
”You`ll see more safety systems we aren`t even talking about yet in the future,” Levine said.
For 1992, Chrysler adds another twist, offering its mini-van buyers a free cellular phone.
”We`re promoting the phone as a safety system whereby the wife driving with the kids can stay in touch and call for help if needed,” Levine said.
”The mini-van is a mobile home for the family, and now you don`t have to leave the phone at home when you travel.”
(Presumably the phone also could be used by a man seeking assistance.)
If there be a negative to van safety, it`s that it surely will increase prices.
”The only thing holding prices down now is all the competition for van sales among the producers,” O`Grady said.
But there are many positives.
”Mini-vans are a high-utility segment of the market that aren`t going to go away,” Cole said. ”Mini-van popularity makes sense because of the transition evident in society from one attracted by glitz in the `80s to one demanding value in the `90s.
”We`re seeing a conservative shift in society and people expecting value for the money for what they buy. And what more value can you get than in a van, the ultimate people-hauler and maximum space package?” he asked.
”Vans have reached elevated status,” Cole added. ”It`s no longer unfashionable to be seen in one. Any feature you see or will see in a car, you see or will see in a van. The only limits as to the features you`ll find in vans are how much money the manufacturers are willing to put into them.”
