Minivan safety

"Volunteers Take Consumer Causes to Richmond"

"Shahan takes on some of the mightiest interest groups around, including auto manufacturers. 'We don't always win, especially the first time around,' said the soft-spoken Shahan. 'You have to keep coming back over and over again–Persistence counts for a lot on consumer issues.' Against long odds, pro-consumer legislators and advocates came within a hair's breadth this year of achieving a stunning piece of consumer disclosure legislation: a requirement that manufacturers of the increasingly popular vans, minivans, light trucks and pickups tell potential buyers that these vehicles are not required to meet a number of federal safety standards mandated for passenger cars. For example, vans may not provide as much protection if they are struck broadside or if they roll over.The legislation would have been the first of its kind in the country."

– Washington Post, March 1, 1990