"The buck stops here" is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman.

Use of the vehicle

• The vehicle should be used for the agreed trips between members’ pick up points and work

Personal use of the vehicle

• Routine carrying of unrelated groups such as Cub Scouts or Little League is not allowed
• Van should not be used for commercial activity
• The vans should not travel out of state except for travel to driver’s residence
• Please be sensitive to public opinion and use discretion concerning any other personal use of the vehicle

Maintenance of the vehicle

• Do a vehicle walk around daily looking at tires pressure and wear as well as any body damage
• Check tire pressure with a gauge on a weekly basis
• Have all preventative maintenance done on schedule including oil changes and tire rotation

Parking of the vehicle

• UTA would prefer that you provide off-street parking at a private residence
• Otherwise please park the van in a well-lit, highly visible and open place Never leave anything in sight in the van and always lock it

Reporting

• Submit the following information by the 5th of the month Total Monthly Miles # of Passenger Trips Month-end Odometer
• Report any changes in riders and or scheduled miles
• Report any maintenance problems immediately to Kerry Wayman at 801-244- 3250
• Report accidents and/or vandalism to the appropriate police immediately

Finances

• Payment is due by the 5th of the month Report billing discrepancies to Nathan Hansen at 801-287- 2433
  

IN THIS ISSUE:

• What’s the Protocol for Reporting Accidents?

• Communications and Who’s on Board

• Reducing the Risk of
  Rollover Crashes

• Application for nonstandard
  equipment

• Managing Your
  Account

• Coming Soon! Improved Ride Matching

What’s the Protocol for Reporting Accidents?

Accident Protocol:

Involved in a traffic accident? Contact the police authorities just as you would with your personal car. UTA will conduct an investigation and document information related to the accident on a police report form.

Fill out a UTA accident report form and turn it in to Kerry Wayman or Scott Miklos.

Vandalism Protocol:

If you notice your vehicle has been vandalized contact the police authorities. As with accidents, UTA will conduct an investigation and document information related to the accident on a police report form

Again fill out a UTA accident report form and turn it in to Kerry Wayman or Scott Miklos.

The documentation is located in your vanpool handbook.

UTA needs a list of all of your riders by van number. Please provide name, work, home or cell phone number and an e-mail address for each of your riders. Please identify the primary and secondary drivers and who is the contact person for the finances.

As your riders come and go please update the list accordingly.

We would like to communicate with all vanpool participants and e-mail the newsletter to all. Through this direct communication we hope to share important and helpful information as well as receive feedback from our riders.

Please submit your list with your March 2008 report and payment to Wendy Karsch, wkarsch@rideuta.com.

Reducing the Risk of Rollover Crashes

Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has found that the risk of a rollover crash is greatly increased when 10 or more people ride in a 15- passenger van. This increased risk occurs because the passenger weight raises the vehicle’s center of gravity and causes it to shift rearward. Placing any load on the roof also raises the center of gravity and increases the likelihood of a rollover.

Because most rollover crashes don’t involve other vehicles, they are often preventable. Here are some tips for drivers to minimize the risk of a rollover crash and serious injury:

* Avoid conditions that lead to a loss of control. Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Be well rested and attentive, and always slow down if the roads are wet or icy.

* Drive cautiously on rural roads. Be particularly cautious on curved roads and maintain a safe speed.

* Know what to do if your wheels drop off the roadway or pavement. Gradually reduce speed and steer back onto the roadway when it is safe to do so.

* Properly maintain your tires. TIRES, TIRES, TIRES are so important! Make sure your tires are properly inflated and the tread is not worn down. Worn tires can cause your van to slide sideways on wet or slippery pavement. Improper inflation can cause handling problems and can lead to catastrophic tire failures, such as blowouts. Check your tires visually daily and with a tire gauge once a week.

What are other considerations?

When a 15-passenger van is not full, passengers should sit in seats that are in front of the rear axle. Rick Hansen, a vanpooler at HAFB, bids a fond farewell to one of his riders who recently retired. Now he has to rearrange the seating to redistribute the weight.

Vans should never carry more passengers than they what are designed to carry, 12 or 15 passengers.

Because a 15-passenger van is substantially longer and wider than a car, it:

* Requires more space and additional reliance on the side-view mirrors for changing lanes

* Does not respond as well to abrupt steering maneuvers

* Requires additional braking time

What can you do?

Passengers can dramatically reduce their risk of being killed or seriously injured in a rollover crash by simply using their seat belts.

Drivers should be responsible for enforcing seat belt usage.

There should be one or two experienced drivers who drive on a regular basis. This will make each trip a safe one.

For more information call the DOT Auto Safety HotLine, 888-327-4236.

Application for non-standard equipment on van-pool vans

Instructions: Non-standard equipment cannot be installed or mounted on or to a van-pool vehicle without prior authorization from UTA. To apply for authorization to mount or install non-standard equipment or accessories, complete and return this form to UTA.

Please provide a complete description of the component, the estimated cost, and the reason for the modification to assist in the evaluation of your application. Any approved item will be considered a permanent part of the van and cannot be removed at the termination of the lease.

Contract number:

Van number:

Lessee:

Item requested:

Reason for request:

Estimated cost:

I affirm to the best of my knowledge that the above information is true and correct.

Signature of lessee

Return this completed form to: Felix Montanez

Address: P.O. Box 30810 Salt Lake City, UT 84130

Phone number: 801-287-5312

Fax number: 801-287-4565

With the growth of the Vanpool program, UTA receives hundreds of checks for vanpool payments. This creates a large amount of work and possibility for error. Many of our vanpools have already set up their own separate van checking accounts to manage their vanpools and we highly recommend it.

Around the country many Vanpools have opened vanpool checking accounts. The way it works is that two or three members from the vanpool are on the signature card. As these individuals come and go the signature card is updated. Most times they are the primary and secondary drivers and a third person. Payments from the individual riders are deposited into the vanpool checking account. The checking account is then used to issue checks to pay for the van’s monthly expenses. Generally one check per month to UTA for the lease, fuel and any other reimbursements due UTA. Additionally the Vanpool can reimburse its members for any out of pocket expenses.

Vanpool members have found significant advantages to doing this. For one thing they have a complete picture of the financial status of the vanpool. They have more control over the disbursement of funds. They can build a fund to pay for future maintenance or temporary rider shortages. It also helps riders identify when to either look for additional riders and/or increase the per rider fee to ride.

Coming mid 2008!

UTA has purchased Trapeze RidePro3 and we are very excited! RidePro3 will provide a website where you and others can find ridematches. The database uses a person’s home address, work address and work hours to find others who live and work near them and who have similar schedules. Be assured that we value your privacy and will collect and distribute your information ONLY for the purposes of assisting you in finding other riders interested in carpooling or vanpooling.