Passenger vans similar to one that crashed in New Brunswick, killing seven students and a teacher, are still used by B.C. schools to transport students, even though such use is banned in many U.S. states because of safety concerns.

....

"If you have any loss of control for any reason, it's very difficult to get the van back under control," says Jeff Wiggington, a Texas lawyer who has campaigned hard to have the vans removed from U.S. roads.

Because of the weight on the rear axle, says Wiggington, "the front tires are less responsive than you expect them to be to any steering inputs, so the driver is deceived into steering too much or too little into what happens on the roadway.

"The bottom line is that a minor error often becomes fatal in a 15-passenger van, whereas in most vehicles it is not."