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Reckless Driving

Church Vehicle Safety

Young bleeding man sitting depressed after car accident

Motorized vehicles did not exist in Bible times, but there were other kinds of accidents. Horse-drawn chariots were created for speed, and could be wrecked, injuring the riders and anyone in the way. Ships could run aground, collide, or encounter destructive storms. Even prominent, authoritative people, such as kings and priests, had personal accidents.

From the Bible

Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously” (2 Kings 9:20).

Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber (1 Kings 22:48).

And [King] Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria ... (2 Kings 1:2).

Introduction

"Accidents happen," people say, but every accident has a cause. In most vehicle accidents, the cause is human, not just in driving, but also in design, engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance. Of course, some accidents may have totally unforeseen natural causes, though these are in the minority. The vast majority of vehicular accidents are preventable, at least on someone's part.

What this means for churches is that we should do our part in preventing traffic accidents. Not only is there a moral obligation to prevent the damages and injuries of an accident, but an accident can present the church with legal and financial liabilities.

In the News:

Concan, Texas, March 29, 2017 - A pickup truck crossed the centerline of a 2-lane highway and collided head-on with a small church bus returning from a church camp. Of the 14 seniors in the bus, 13 were killed.[1]

Johnson County, Missouri, August 10, 2018 - The driver of a church van carrying 13 persons lost control and ran off the road, overturned, and struck a tree. Three teens were killed, and three other people were badly injured.[2]

Thirteen U.S. locations, September 18, 2010 through March 30, 2015 - Using 2015 data from The Associated Press, Brian Dulle of station KSNT compiled a list of 13 accidents of church vans resulting in fatalities. There were various causes:

Some of these circumstances overlap.[3]

Wallace County, Kansas, July 14, 2023 - A Spokane, Washington, church van on its way to the National Bible Quiz Tournament, edged off the right side of the highway. The driver overcorrected, lost control, and went off the road again. The van rolled over a number of times. Three members of the church died, and two others were injured.[4]

State Route 189, California, February 21, 2011 - A church bus returning to Pasadena from a winter retreat at a conference center in the mountains hit another vehicle on a curve, slid off the road, and hit a tree. The driver was killed, and 23 others were injured, including two in the other vehicle. Ten of the injuries were serious. The road was wet, but not icy.[5]

Alachua County, January 4, 2019 - A church van with nine juveniles and three adults aboard was on its way from Marksville, Louisiana, to Disney world in Orlando, Florida. Southbound on I-75, in Alachua County close to Gainesville, a northbound semi went out of control, hit another vehicle, taking both across the median, and hitting another two vehicles, including another semi. The second vehicle hit struck the church van, which rolled over several times, and the first hit vehicle ran over at least one young person ejected from the van. Some of the juveniles might not have been wearing seat belts. Three teens and two sub-teens were killed. The semi driver and another driver were also killed. The van's driver was seriously injured.[6][7]

Staying Safe with Church Vehicles:

As seen in this sample of news stories, being a church member in a church vehicle is not a guarantee that all will be safe. As seen in the stories, there are several threats to the safety of the operators and passengers in church vehicles as well as to other people on and close to the road. There are other hazards as well:

Unsafe vehicles, due to Design -

There are vehicles which, because of their design, are unsafe for church use, especially transporting passengers. Several times criticized are 15-passenger vans (notice how many vans are in the news stories). This is especially so when full. With so much weight in the back, it is easy to go out of control on a curve or when responding quickly. When luggage is put on roof racks, this makes them top-heavy.

Manufacturers have tried to remedy this with a longer wheelbase leaving less behind the rear wheels. This still means a lot of weight on the rear axles. A stronger rear suspension has lessened the risk some, but it still is a risky choice. Tandem rear axles or double rear wheels would make them more reliable.

According to some experts, the safer choice for carrying over a dozen persons is a small bus. They are wider than the vans with heavier suspensions, axles, etc., luggage can be stashed beneath the seating floor, keeping the center of gravity low, and the prices are not much more than for the vans.

Additionally, many states require the drivers of 15-passenger vans to have CDLs certified for the vans.

More about this is online. One resource is the Church Property Insurance blog article "15 Passenger Vans: Should Churches Buy 15 Passenger Vans or Should They Consider a Church Bus."[8]

Although it has rustic or nostalgic appeal, it is safer to not transport passengers in the back of an open truck or on a trailer, especially on public roads. It may also be against the law.

Unsafe vehicles, due to Condition -

A critical requirement for church vehicle safety is maintenance. Many accidents are caused by blown tires and failed brakes. Other hazards are wheels falling off, steering failures, engine fires, carbon monoxide from leaking mufflers or exhaust pipes, seats breaking loose, etc. See to it that all church vehicles are kept in good condition. Have logs of all maintenance work.

Overloading (exceeding capacity) -

Every vehicle has its load limit. Even if the vehicle can carry the weight, the extra load may compromise handling. Keep every vehicle within its specified load limit, in both the number of passengers and the weight of cargo or baggage.

Unsafe operation -

An interesting note in the KSNT/AP article[3] is that in two of the church van fatality accidents one driver's license had been suspended and the other driver's license had been revoked. In three other incidents, one driver "clipped" another vehicle, one drove into a ditch, and one went into utility poles.

This is a safety issue that can be generally prevented. Maintain a list of all approved drivers for church vehicles. Conduct a background check on each proposed driver which includes his or her driving record. Hold each driver accountable, including for any unsafe driving practices passengers may report.

Have a written policy for church drivers. One example is "Van Driver Policy and Procedures" by Northside Baptist Church of Mechanicsville, Virginia. It includes two guidelines (Driver Guidelines, Trip Guidelines, Vehicle Guidelines) and three forms (Driver Acknowledgement, Ministry Driver Screening, Van Reservation Form).[9]

Not using restraints -

Sometimes an accident is definitely not the fault of the church's vehicle or driver, but is caused by other drivers or unavoidable conditions.[1][6] Whether or not the driver is at fault, lives can usually be saved and injuries minimized by having passengers use their restraints (seat belts or shoulder-seat straps). Therefore, it is important for drivers to insist that passengers buckle up.

Weather and other road conditions -

There are times when not going on the road is the better part of wisdom. This is especially true when roads are not treated for ice and snow or winds are excessive. Flooding poses another hazard: vehicles should not try to drive through flood waters. A vehicle can easily be carried away, and possibly tip over, even when the water is not deep.

Other drivers -

We cannot control other drivers, but we can drive defensively. Be aware of how other vehicles are being driven and leave enough room to take needed evasive action.

Conclusion:

Keep church vehicles in good condition and drive safely. It's better to be patient than to be a patient.

Training Resources

We urge church safety ministries to have all safety team members trained and certified through the SDCS course Safety Member Certification. It has eight training modules (classes):

A student completing each class and passing its certification test will be a Certified Safety Member for two years.[10]

Church Property Insurance has several blog articles on church vehicle safety. Four of them (besides the one cited above) are

References

  1. Sinclair Broadcast Group - San Antonio, "Truck driver at fault in accident killing 13 seniors returning from church retreat," KTVL 10, March 29, 2017, Updated March 30, 2017 [https://ktvl.com/news/nation-world/breaking-multiple-fatalities-confirmed-near-garner-state-park].
  2. Melissa Greenstein, "3 killed, 3 seriously hurt in Johnson County church van crash," 41KSHB, August 10, 2018 [https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/6-people-seriously-injured-in-johnson-county-church-van-crash].
  3. Brian Dulle, "A list of some fatal US church van crashes since 2010," KSNT.com (based on data from The Associated Press), March 30, 2015 [https://www.ksnt.com/news/a-list-of-some-fatal-us-church-van-crashes-since-2010/].
  4. Vincent Saglimbeni, "Three members of Spokane church killed in van crash in Kansas," KXLY, July 16, 2023 Updated July 17, 2023 [https://www.kxly.com/news/three-members-of-spokane-church-killed-in-van-crash-in-kansas/article_11c05df0-2444-11ee-b30e-ebb6c38f94b2.html].
  5. Nicole Howley, "Calif. church bus hit vehicle, slid down embankment; 1 dead, 23 injured," Justice News Flash, February 23, 2011 [https://www.justicenewsflash.com/2011/02/23/calif-church-bus-hit-vehicle-slid-down-embankment-1-dead-23-injured_201102237024.html].
  6. WLS staff, "Fiery I-75 church van crash near Gainesville kills 7, including 5 children; victims ID'd," WLS (ABC7 Chicago), Friday, January 4, 2019 [https://abc7chicago.com/i-75-crash-gainesville-florida-interstate-i75/5011463/].
  7. Maria Pasquini, "These Are the Victims of the Florida Church Van Crash, Including 5 Kids — None Older Than 14," People, January 5, 2019 [https://people.com/human-interest/florida-church-van-victims-names-photos/].
  8. Staff writer, "15 Passenger Vans: Should Churches Buy 15 Passenger Vans or Should They Consider a Church Bus," Church Property Insurance, November 2, 2022 [https://churchpropertyinsurance.com/blog/2022/11/15-passenger-church-vans/].
  9. Church leadership, "Van Driver Policy and Procedures," Northside Baptist Church of Mechanicsville, Virginia, revised March 20, 2019 [https://northsideva.org/wp-content/uploads/Van-Policies-and-Procedures-revised-3.20.19-website.pdf].
  10. Kris Moloney, Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/].
  11. Staff writer, "School Bus Best Practices When Transporting School Kids," Church Property Insurance, October 11, 2023 [https://churchpropertyinsurance.com/blog/2024/05/school-bus-best-practices-when-transporting-school-kids/].
  12. Staff writer, "Secure Your Ride with 15 Passenger Van Insurance Today," Church Property Insurance, October 2, 2023 [https://churchpropertyinsurance.com/blog/2023/10/secure-your-ride-with-15-passenger-van-insurance-today/].
  13. Staff writer, "Top Reasons For Driving Safely in a Church Parking Lot," Church Property Insurance, February 22, 2023 [https://churchpropertyinsurance.com/blog/2023/02/driving-safely-in-a-church-parking-lot/].
  14. Staff writer, "Vehicle Maintenance Program For Churches: Repairs and Church Vehicle Maintenance," Church Property Insurance, January 4, 2023 [https://churchpropertyinsurance.com/blog/60/].