SUVs: Avoiding Serious Injury in a Rollover Crash

Sport Utility Vehicles are notorious for rollover accidents. SUV rollovers are the most common type of accidents associated with Sport Utility Vehicles. Their four wheel drive capabilities make drivers feel safer on roadways, especially those covered with ice or snow, but their high center of gravity creates what has been coined SUV rollover.

Rollover accidents can be deadly, especially if the driver and passengers are not properly seat belted into the vehicle. SUV rollover accidents are often considered a manufacturer defect. SUV rollover is something that should have been addressed prior to the SUV craze, with car companies turning out Sport Utility Vehicles that were more likely to roll over than their competitors. Rollover accidents can be caused by various conditions, including but far from limited to, windy conditions.

Rollover accidents are only now starting to decrease, mostly due to public awareness and not due to manufacturer improvements. A few manufacturers have tried to address rollover accident prone vehicles with improvements, but few have created safer Sport Utility Vehicles. SUV rollover causes serious injury. Avoiding SUV rollover injury is difficult when the rollover accident happens at higher speeds. A high percentage of rollover accidents result in SUV roofs that crush people in the collapse.

Those who were not wearing a seat belt were at a greater risk of either being thrown during a rollover accident or being tossed around the inside of an SUV during the rollover accident. Either of these circumstances can lead to death during SUV rollover accidents. Serious injury is not uncommon during a rollover accident, despite the best circumstances.

The best way to avoid serious injury during a rollover accident is to avoid having a rollover accident. Drivers of Sport Utility Vehicles need to slow down. Four wheel drive does not mean that the vehicle is immune to an accident especially in snowy or icy conditions. SUV rollover often happens in snow and ice because the driver is going too fast for conditions. While the traction of an SUV may be better than that of a sedan, handling is typically much worse in snowy or icy conditions. Rollover accidents can happen when the typical slipping and sliding that occurs in snowy or icy conditions refuses to relent to driver control. The drive tries to steer back into control of the SUV and the rollover accident occurs.

Of course, SUV rollover accidents are not restricted to bad weather. Far from it. In fact, SUV rollover is just as likely to occur in fair weather as it is bad weather. This is due to the fact that SUV drivers are aware that driving in icy and snowy conditions can be dangerous and their level of focus is elevated. In fair weather, driver awareness isn't as high. A curve in the road that curves just slightly too tight or has even a mild lean to the outside can be enough to cause a rollover accident. It is normal for people to travel at higher speeds in fair weather, and the result can be devastating.

SUV rollover has caused serious concern when it comes to governmental crash tests. While the safety commission for the Institute of Crash Test Standards can restrict SUV production and rollover accident safety standards on new Sport Utility Vehicles, it can do nothing for vehicles that have been on the road since the beginning of the SUV craze. Older Sport Utility Vehicles are still on the road, and are still at risk for rollover accidents. The likelihood of obtaining serious injury in an older or used Sport Utility Vehicle is nearly twice as high as the danger of SUV rollover in a brand new Sport Utility Vehicle.

To avoid serious injury in an SUV rollover accident, drive any SUV at slower speeds, be extra cautious around corners and over hills, and always wear a seat belt. While there is no guarantee that these preventative measures will avoid a rollover accident, they will help to ensure your safety in the even of SUV rollover. Rollover accidents are very dangerous, and there have been ample lawsuits to back up the claims that SUV rollover is an issue that should have been addressed within the vehicle manufacturer when Sport Utility Vehicles were first introduced. The best idea for Sport Utility Vehicle owners to avoid SUV rollover is simply exercising perpetual cautionary driving skills. Learning the physics behind SUV rollover can help drivers maintain vehicle control and avoid the serious injury and risk of death associated with rollover accidents.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 or www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

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SUVs: Avoiding Serious Injury in a Rollover Crash

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