|
NHTSA Announces Penalties
for
Selling Vans as School Buses
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 18, 1998
Contact:
Phil Frame
Tel. No.: (202) 366-9550
NHTSA 13-98
NHTSA ANNOUNCES
PENALTIES FOR
SELLING VANS AS SCHOOL BUSES The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced that it
has completed its first group of investigations into vehicle dealers who illegally
sold or leased vans that were used as school buses. "Our
motivation in pursuing these investigations is to assure that school children
ride on the safest form of transportation on American roads -- the school bus,"
said NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D. Concerned
about the use of large vans for carrying students, NHTSA two years ago sought
the assistance of school transportation officials in providing investigative leads
on illegal sales or leases. NHTSA has completed investigations and assessed civil
penalties against 10 dealers. Federal
law provides that school buses are the only vehicles with a capacity of more than
10 passengers that can be manufactured, sold or leased for transporting students
to and from school and related events. The law applies to the sale or lease of
new vehicles. According
to NHTSA, illegal sales of vans for pupil transportation raise a risk to school
children because vans are not required to have the same protective seats, emergency
exits, special mirrors, vehicle structure, and fuel systems as school buses. Vans
also do not have traffic control devices such as flashing lights and stop arms.
School bus drivers also must hold a commercial driver's license. NHTSA
officials said they, along with school transportation officials, remain committed
to investigating illegal sales or leases of vans that are used in pupil transportation.
Anyone wishing to report a suspected illegal sale or lease of a van used for school
transportation can do so by calling the Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393.
Following
is a list of completed investigations: Vehicle
dealers sanctioned
for selling or leasing vans
that were used to transport
studentsSanctioned
Dealerships No. Of Illegal Sales Civil Penalty*
| Criswell
Chevrolet, Gaithersburg, Md. | 3 | $1,000 |
| Koons
Ford/Dodge, Falls Church, Va. | 3 | $1,000 |
| Ourisman
Dodge, Alexandria, Va. | 4 | $1,000 |
| Carroll
Chevrolet, Crown Point, Ind. | 2 | $1,000 |
| Ickes
Chevrolet, Robinson, Ill. | 1 | $500 |
| Flow Automotive
(Superior Ford), Winston-Salem, N.C. | 1 | $500 |
| Welcome
Corp. (Thrifty Car Rental), Alexandria, Va. | 8 | $4,400 |
| Pulliam
Motor Co., (Pulliam Ford), Columbia, S.C. | 6 | $3,000 |
| Keffer
Dodge, Charlotte, N.C. | 4 | $1,000 |
| Parkway
Ford, Winston-Salem, N.C. | 4 | $1,000 |
*
Under federal law, the maximum penalty is $1,000 per violation that occurred before
Feb. 4, 1997, and $1,100 per violation after that date. |
