Vehicle Rollovers - Rollover Accidents

Rollover accidents are among the most dangerous types of crashes because the vehicle is placed in an unpredictable motion. In addition, occupants of a rolling vehicle are often ejected. Several injuries, and in many cases, death are often the result of a rollover accident. Head trauma is the most frequent type of fatal and non-fatal injury resulting from a rollover crash.

Rollovers can occur due to a variety of factors. Some of the most common contributing factors are:

Sport utility vehicles have the highest rate of deaths occurring in rollovers. Cars such as the Ford Explorer, Toyota 4 Runner, Isuzu Rodeo, and Honda Passport have been involved in SUV rollovers that have ended up in serious injuries and death. SUV rollovers are almost three times more likely to occur than the average passenger car, and government tests indicate the most stable SUV is still more unstable than the most unstable car. What does this say about the safety of SUVs on the road?

In 2002, statistics showed that nearly 11,000 people died in rollover accidents, with 61% of SUV rollovers accounting for the fatalities. The number of people killed in SUV rollovers has increased by 14% in the last year. Even more alarming, is the withholding of information to consumers about this issue, especially since rollovers are among the deadliest type of accidents. Considering the SUV has been a popular family car, consumers should be aware of the risk the vehicles are putting their families in. The number of SUV rollover fatalities continues to escalate but SUVs are not being made to better resist rollover crashes. Not a single SUV earned the federal agency’s highest safety rating according to an NHTSA July 17, 2003 report.

SUV popularity created a large increase in sales in the 1990's, and because there was so much consumer demand for these cars, car makers continue to manufacture SUVs. Because the vehicle has changed from simply being an off-road vehicle to a family car, manufacturers have also removed the roll bar that protects drivers and passengers in a rollover situation. Many SUV rollover accidents occur because of the unusual propensity of the large car has to roll over when steered hard in foreseeable accident avoidance maneuvers. Also, the size and height of a n SUV may increase the danger for rollovers to occur. SUV defects, like weak roofs and safety restraint system failures, are some of the heightened risks involved in an SUV rollover situation.