GM has added a number of safety enhancements to the 2008 Chevrolet Express and the GMC Savana, to give them the most comprehensive standard safety package ever in a GM full-size passenger van:

• An electronic stability control system, called StabiliTrak, is standard. This proven safety technology helps a driver maintain vehicle control during certain difficult driving conditions, such as ice, snow, gravel, wet pavement and uneven road surfaces, as well as in emergency lane changes or avoidance maneuvers.
  
• A Tire Pressure Monitoring System is standard. It helps address over- or under-inflation of tires — a leading cause of rollover crashes.
  
• Standard rollover-enabled head curtain side impact airbags. Combined with properly worn safety belts, outboard occupants are better protected in side impacts and slower-developing rollover crashes, which are relatively rare but account for about a third of highway deaths. Dual front air bags are also standard.
  
• Another standard feature is a new technology called Enhanced Technology Glass. It is located in the rearmost windows of our 12- and 15-passenger vans. This three-layer special glass is designed to help reduce the risk of occupant ejection during a crash. This type of technology is often used to make windows in large building hurricane-proof, and is the first application in a motor vehicle.

A lot of work went into developing and engineering the 2008 Express and Savana. Some of these safety features are not required, but we felt they were features that our customers deserved to have.

Finally, if you take away only one message from reading this post, remember this: buckle up. Every time and on every trip. Failing to do so is costing the highest price of all — the loss of precious lives.