A light van (Provided photo — Dave Werner)

While most new passenger cars and SUVs come equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and at least offer lane departure prevention and blind spot detection as options, such features are comparatively rare on light vans. Intelligent Speed Assist, which makes it difficult or impossible for drivers to speed, as opposed to providing a visual warning, is not widely available regardless of vehicle type.

Equipping the light vans that transport people and fulfill America’s online orders with four specific safety features could prevent or mitigate close to four out of 10 fatal crashes involving such vehicles, according to a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Using federal crash data from 2016 to 2021, IIHS researchers estimated that equipping every light van on the road with front crash prevention, lane departure prevention, blind spot detection, and intelligent speed assistance (ISA) could address 26% of all police-reported crashes, 22% of injury crashes and 37% of fatal crashes involving such vehicles.

E-commerce was already booming in 2020 when the pandemic put home delivery into overdrive, prompting a 43% increase in sales and adding thousands of light vans to the U.S. fleet. About 500,000 light vans are sold every year in the U.S., according to data gathered by Wards Intelligence.

Manufacturers have committed to equipping newer models with front crash prevention. But the increasing prevalence of these vans remains a safety concern. Larger vehicles are more likely to cause injuries in crashes with smaller vehicles because of their greater mass. They’re also more likely than passenger cars to kill or seriously injure pedestrians, probably because their ride height and the shape of their front ends means they strike higher on the pedestrian’s body. Pedestrian fatalities have increased 83% since their low point in 2009, while bicyclist fatalities have risen 75% over approximately the same period, according to the IIHS.

Although the researchers counted crashes but did not consider belt use, it’s possible that fewer delivery and passenger van drivers wear their seat belts consistently than the nationally observed 92% of all drivers, because delivery drivers must stop and get out frequently while on the job. That might mean they could benefit even more from louder, more persistent seat-belt reminders.

IIHS research shows that crash avoidance features are already highly effective, and further advancements promise to make them work better. For light vans, similar effectiveness would mean eliminating some 77,000 crashes per year. What are we waiting for?