Jacob Strebler of Columbia was just 6 years old when he died, the victim of a crash between the 15-passenger van in which he was riding and an 18-wheeler truck.

That was in 1994.

Now, 12 years later, a state law bearing his name has gone into effect with the aim of preventing more deaths involving 15-passenger vans.

Although Jacob's Law was signed by Gov. Jim Hodges in 2000, the law allowed for a six-year grace period before any group covered under the law was required to cease using the vans.

The law states that any entity (whether public, private or church-funded) transporting school children to or from any school- or child care-related activity must use a school bus as defined by federal law. And as Saturday, everyone must be in compliance with Jacob's Law.

"I think they've had about six years to prepare for this," Sid Gaulden, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, said. "This should not come as a surprise to anyone."

Gaulden said all troopers have been made aware of the changes and violators will be cited.

Julie Robinson, director of Christian Assembly Day Care in Florence, said her center has purchased two minibuses, which meet federal standards, in response to the law.

"It's another bill of course, but anything that's safer for the children, we're for that," she said.

Robinson also said the day-care staff prefers the new buses to the 15-passenger vans.

"The room is nice and they handle nicer. We like them a lot better," she said.

Robinson added that while the day-care did keep one of the two vans they owned, it's only used for staff to run errands and children aren't transported on it.

Todd Manuel, sales manger of Columbia school bus dealer Interstate Transportation Equipment, said he's seen an increase in sales of minibuses leading up to the law's effective date.

"This past year, there's been a lot of interest in the school bus to be compliant with Jacob's Law," Manuel said. "Early on there was a spike (in sales). It's really been pretty steady since then."

When the law was first signed in 2000, larger organizations flocked to school bus distributors.

"They had the means and the resources to act sooner," Manuel said. Smaller organizations, such as locally-owned and non-church-affiliated child care centers, were more burdened by the cost of the minibuses as compared to vans.

Manuel said that the price range for a minibus can be from $33,000 to $43,000, which is anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000 more than 15-passenger vans.

In the week leading up to the law's effective date, Little Scholar's Academy in Florence still was using the vans. Director Lisa Brooks said the center will stop using them and be without large transportation until Friday, when the bus the center ordered is scheduled to arrive. Brooks cited the greater cost, as well as the lack of local school bus dealers, as reasons for why Little Scholar's is only now purchasing a bus.

Meanwhile, newer daycares such as Mon-Dae Morning Child Care Center in Florence, which opened just two years ago, never really had the van issue with which to contend. Because of Jacob's Law, they knew there was no point in buying a van.

"We have a minibus," director Jodeen McAllister said. "We knew that we could no longer use the vans."

What purchasers of minibuses are paying for is added security and federally-regulated safety features.

One of the dangers in nonconforming vans, considered to be one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road, lies in its inability to protect its passengers in the event of a crash. The school bus is designed with rollover and side impact protection — both features unique to school buses. The 15-passenger vans don't provide that security.

"That's where the school bus ... is touted as the safest vehicle that anyone can ride in," Manuel said.

Other safety features unique to school buses are the large outside mirrors and high-backed padded seats.

Manuel said the van's stability also is a leading concern among its critics. Because it's so top heavy, it takes slower speeds and a more experienced driver to be able to handle a van, he said.

On Feb. 16, 1999, sisters April Lynn Sessoms, 9, and Wanda Ann Sessoms, 7, and Willie Malachi, 10, Phillip Hailey Jr., 7, and his half-sister, Devona Bloomfield, 11, died after the 15-passenger van they were riding in was struck by a tow truck outside of Wallace. Malachi's sister, Arielle Nichole Malachi, 11, died two days later of her injuries.

After investigating the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that had the children been riding in a school bus, the tow truck might not have inflicted so much damage on the vehicle, and they might have survived because of the school bus's "greater structural strength."

While Jacob's Law will help children in South Carolina, there is no comparable federal law, so children in other states still are riding in 15-passenger vans. The only law that does address the vans only applies to the sale of such vans by dealers, not the way they can be used.

Many other states, however, are adopting their own versions of Jacob's Law, which has received attention outside of South Carolina, as well.

"I think overall it has really improved the transportation of small groups, and raised the awareness of the dangers of 15-passenger vans," Manuel said.