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What makes you think your being SCARED will not affect the safety of everyone...IT WILL..Friend until you gain confidence and experience driving the thing you shouldn't drive it..With 7 adults going no one but you can drive? I was a trained professional . How would you like for the person driving your kids school bus to be "SCARED"? Why are you even thinking about doing something so dangerous if you are scared and don't want to do it? How do you know that the 6 other people will not all be talking and distract you?
Good points, I would not want to be one of those passengers.
Can't you take more than one vehicle? We have a van and I have driven it once. I don't like it and it is much different than the Lincoln that I drive. Our van isn't the passenger and only 17 ft. long. the Ford Club Wagon. It is difficult to park in the smaller parking spaces and difficult to back up. I can't imagine driving with so many people in the vehicle, probably chattering and giving advice. Take more than one vehicle.
Remember you have other gears! When going down and you find yourself braking a lot, drop your gear so you don't overheat your brakes. The larger the vehicle, the heavier they are. If you do have to brake, make the brake action a strong push and release. Not enough so you are slamming on the brakes, but give it a burst rather than a pump.
Uphill is another place where the heavier vehicles could use some help. Give it gas before the transmission does when you know you are starting up a hill. If your vehicle starts dogging, drop the gear. To give it some more engine power.
Larger vehicles should use their blinker a little earlier than others and should be aware that a horn may be someone telling you to not come over.
Use your mirrors!
I said this in an earlier post, but I can't stress it enough. Many small vehicle drivers twist and turn in their seats to see, and they can because the rear window is so close. Driving large vehicles you must rely on your mirrors. You will twist and turn and think you an see just because it is your habit, but you are not really seeing.
You should practice before going on the road doing this AND backing up.
I am a firm believer in the wisdom that if a driver cannot back-up their vehicle, they should not take it forward. I follow that wisdom mostly talking about those pulling a trailer, but it would apply here as well.
Practice backing up!
If you don't know where your tires and corners are, you won't be able to pass a car, pass a pedestrian on foot or on bike, or take a right turn around a curb. It is unsafe. Grab the vehicle a day earlier than your trio and practice.
Don't be afraid!
Driving a passenger van requires the same calm driver as any other vehicle. If you are afraid, your driving will suffer. Fear screws with your periphery and in that way you stop seeing well. White knuckles on the steering wheel mess with your fluidity needed to react well. If you are so freaked out about driving, just sit in the passenger seat.
Or, as just get 'NOT freaked out' with some practice. You'll be fine if you do that. It is better to practice driving and backing up at home first because you will be very aware of what is different and what is the same, so again, practice at home. Send the extra $$ to make a safer trip.
I learned early how to drive big vehicles since my step-father seemed to know that it is more a habit of fear than a reality why people are cared of large vehicles. He also taught me early about the dangers of applying the brakes on gravel.
I have driven all sorts of trucks and small busses and passenger vans for school trips. Even though I have done this a ton, I still practice if it has been a while driving a large vehicle. There is no shame in that and it will each your kids future driving wisdom by showing them how you familiarize yourself with a new vehicle.
Happy driving!
Last edited by Robinstyler; 07-27-2013 at 10:07 AM..
I've rented these a couple dozens times for work, and without exception always ended up with the Fords for some reason. I've never been in any situation with them where I was concerned about the handling, braking, steering or anything else, and that's over thousands of miles. Who cares about what front end components they have? They drive fine. Yes, they're big. You need to pay attention to that rear overhang, use the mirros when backing up, and be aware of that extra size. But in everything except tight parking lots I hardly notice I'm driving anything bigger than my F150.
We are renting a vehicle to take a 1200+ mile round trip family road trip, seven people (all adults), and my husband thinks to allow for luggage and extra passengers part of the trip (visiting family), we should rent a 12 passenger van. The biggest vehicle I have ever driven was a minivan, and that was fine. Frankly, I'm scared to drive something that big, but I will definitely have to drive a lot of the trip.
When you rent a 12 passenger van from a rental agency, is it a conversion van, or just a van that hasn't been modified at all? I guess that would depend; just wondered if anyone had ever rented one and knew.
I'm just SCARED. Especially since part of the driving will be somewhat in the mountains and the extra weight and never handling anything that big scares me. And I already had a dream that we went tumbling down the side of a mount in the van, and my last thought in the dream was that we all had our seat belts on. Then nothing.
If it were up to me I would rent a minivan to feel safer, but I know that wouldn't be a very comfortable ride for seven adults. And no, I wouldn't trust too many of the other people to drive, and will be renting the van in my name with one other driver.
12-passenger is fine, really. Not much different than driving a pickup. It's the 15 passenger vans that can be touchy.
Just take your time getting used to the feel of it. Go slow & get comfortable. You'll do fine!
INFLATE THE LEFT REAR TIRE TO THE MAX ON THE SIDEWALL!
99.999% of rollovers and accidents with 12 and 15 passenger vans are from people not paying attention to the tire pressure and having a blowout.
It's going to have load range D or E truck tires. If you have more than 4 or 5 people in it, it is going to be a lot of weight. Since the row is on the right, most of the load on the van is on the left rear tire.
Keeping it inflated to the max on the sidewall will keep it from overheating and blowing out.
INFLATE THE LEFT REAR TIRE TO THE MAX ON THE SIDEWALL!
99.999% of rollovers and accidents with 12 and 15 passenger vans are from people not paying attention to the tire pressure and having a blowout.
It's going to have load range D or E truck tires. If you have more than 4 or 5 people in it, it is going to be a lot of weight. Since the row is on the right, most of the load on the van is on the left rear tire.
Keeping it inflated to the max on the sidewall will keep it from overheating and blowing out.
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOLLOW THESE RIDICULOUS INSTRUCTIONS.
Everything about the above post is absurd, and quite possibly dangerous.
Okay, advice taken and appreciated. Still scared, though!! It's not so much driving down the highway that scares me, but in town and on mountains and well, if it needs to be backed up someone else will have to do it.
What the others said... Vans aren't much bigger than minivans or SUVs. If you are leery of driving in the mountains and need a pinch hitter to back the thing up for you, it might be time to call the airlines and rent a minivan at the destination.
Every few weekends I'm driving down a mountain pass and smell smoking brakes. Look for loaded minivans from Illinois or one of the flat states and that's the car burning the brakes. Someone white knuckling the mountains and dragging the brakes down the whole thing. Not a good situation.
Thanks again. I said the biggest vehicle I have driven is a minivan, then realized after posting that that's not true; I have driven a long bed Dodge Ram pickup as well, and at first I was very uncomfortable driving it but quickly got used to it.
I am also used to driving vehicles with a high center of gravity; I usually drive Jeeps.
I do know not to stay on the brakes going down a mountain!
We were planning to get the vehicle a day ahead of time, so I will have time to practice driving it.
About backing up - I can back up, I just don't necessarily like to do it, and that's in any vehicle. I don't mean backing out of a driveway or parking space, but backing down or street or parallel parking I try to avoid if possible.
Seven people, yes, and four of them are young 20s - so not necessarily years of experience driving and would not trust them to drive it, plus I see the rental company will not rent full size vans to anyone under 25. The fifth person is a little older, but not much. On the rental agreement there will be two drivers, me and another driver. So I will have to do some of the driving.
It's similar to renting a U-Haul truck. Most drivers have done it at some time without incident. larger vehicles like these have bigger mirrors - be sure to use them. It may take a few miles to get the feel of the vehicle, but you most certainly will. Have a safe trip!
Come to think of it, I did drive a U-Haul truck at one time. Can't say I enjoyed the experience, but I did it!
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