WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government is issuing a consumer advisory for motorists using 15-passenger vans following fatal crashes in Georgia and New York.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says users of the vans need to ensure that the tires are properly inflated before every trip, and the vans are maintained and not overloaded.
In Blakely, Ga., four people were killed and 15 passengers were injured on Oct. 4 when an aging church van blew a tire and overturned. Last month, a church van blew a tire and rolled over along the New York State Thruway, killing six people and injuring eight others.
The federal auto safety agency is directing its advisory to church groups, nonprofit organizations and colleges that may keep older 15-passenger vans in service.
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