In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Transit Passenger Van are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Express doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Transit Passenger Van has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Express offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.
The Transit Passenger Van has standard Post-Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Express doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Transit Passenger Van offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Express doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Transit Passenger Van offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Express doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
The Transit Passenger Van’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Express.
The Transit Passenger Van offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Express only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Transit Passenger Van’s optional Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Express doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.
The Transit Passenger Van’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Express doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Transit Passenger Van uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Express uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.
Both the Transit Passenger Van and the Express have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and blind spot warning systems.