SUV Rollover Accidents – What to Know Before Buying an SUV
SUVs – Sport Utility Vehicles – are more popular than ever. Ownership of SUVs increased dramatically by 250% in the United States from 1995 to 2002 as many people, especially families, were seduced into buying an SUV partly in the belief that bigger meant safer. If you are thinking of buying an SUV, there is good news and bad news as far as safety is concerned. In general an SUV is more than twice as likely to roll over in an accident as a car. Children are especially at risk, they are three times more likely to be injured in an SUV rollover accident than if they were in a car.
And contrary to popular belief, the more weight that an SUV carries, the higher the chance of an accident. Most SUVs are designed – and owners are encouraged – to carry extra weight in the form of extra passengers and cargo, whether it is on the road or off the road.
One way to minimize the risk of a rollover if you do drive an SUV is to drive with less weight. In 2004 (the most recent year with data available) rollover accidents killed just over 10,000 people in the United States. Rollovers are actually rare, less than 3% of all car crashes, but they are responsible for around 30% of all traffic related fatalities. However, rollovers are particularly serious types of accident as they often result in head injuries, or passengers being thrown from vehicles.
The good news is that SUVs are currently safer than ever, a trend that seems certain to continue. An increasing number of SUVs are being made with electronic stability control which dramatically decreases the chance of an accident.
This may become a requirement in the next few years. Manufacturers are also making more so-called car-based SUVs – vehicles that combine the appearance of a car and an SUV. These usually ride closer to the ground than regular SUVs and are therefore significantly safer. And at least fifteen major car manufacturers have agreed that by 2009, all their SUVs would be built lower to the ground, saving an estimated 600 to 800 lives every year.
Other safety features are being introduced. Newer SUVs now have rollover air bags, designed specifically to protect passengers from injury during a rollover. A sensing device will detect a rollover and trigger an airbag to inflate, usually on the side of the vehicle, at the same time tightening the seat belts.
If you are still interested in an SUV, choose your model carefully. Cost, features, and gas mileage will all influence your purchase, but safety should also play an important part in deciding which make and model to buy. Many automotive web sites offer unbiased reviews of SUVs and their safety rating.
And give some thought as to whether you really need an SUV, statistics show that fewer than 5% of owners will actually use their SUV off the road. A car or minivan may suit your needs just as well, and will usually cost less. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published rankings for 2006 which show which SUVs are most and least likely to rollover in an accident.
The figures are based on the chances of a rollover in a single vehicle accident, they don’t take in to account multi-vehicle accidents. The figures also don’t take into account what causes the accident in the first place.
The least likely models to rollover are the Chevrolet HHR, Ford Freestyle and Chrysler Pacifica. The models most likely to rollover are the Nissan Xterra and the Chevrolet Avalanche along with several other models hovering just behind these two as far as the rankings are concerned.
Car manufacturers are understandably concerned with these rankings, the cost in financial terms and buyer confidence is enormous. There have been a spate of vehicle recalls over the last few years; one of the most far-reaching was by Ford in 2003, recalling almost 1.7 million Explorers and Mercury Mountaineers. And Toyota recalled almost a million SUVs in 2005 because of a defect that could possibly affect the ability to steer the vehicle.
So before you buy your next SUV, do a little research. It may just save your life if you are involved in an accident.
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 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com
Demystifying an SUV Safety Report: Are Rollovers a Threat?
When it comes to SUV rollovers, most people commonly approach them in one of two ways, either they are worried about the danger of rollover every time they get into an SUV or they brush it off as a myth, believing that SUV rollovers are only as common as any other vehicle rolling over. The truth, however, is somewhere in between these two trains of thought. Riding in an SUV isnt a death sentence as long as the driver is cautious and follows all traffic rules, but at the same time, Sport Utility Vehicles do tend to rollover more readily than other vehicles.
SUV rollovers are a safety issue you must understand; if you aren’t aware, you can’t protect yourself and your passengers, whether they be co-workers riding with you on a commute to work or your children in the backseat heading to soccer practice. The most common and easy way to learn about your particular SUV and the rate of rollover is to read the safety report. However, these reports can be a bit intimidating, presenting you with lots of figures and scientific data, so learning exactly how to read the report is crucial.
The first rollover reports appeared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in early 2001. Of course, these reports were clouded in controversy, as not every SUV performed well. Companies such as General Motors went on the record as saying that the reports are misleading to consumers, which may have a shade of truth to it, since most people don’t accurately know how to read the entire report.
The most important part of the SUV rollover report is the SSF, which stands for Static Stability Factor. If you majored in physics in college, you probably are nodding your head, but for the rest of us, let me put it into simpler terms: SSF is reports how top-heavy your SUV is. Imagine putting a heavy basket of fruit on top of your head, as you’d try to walk, you’d feel unstable, like you were going to topple over, right? Top heavy means an SUV will be more likely to topple over as well, and so SUV rollovers will be more common.
SSF is a number computed by measuring the center of gravity on the SUV, which is largely due to the track width. Track width is just a fancy way of saying the distance between the tires, and the back tires are always used to keep everyone’s report consistent. Go back to imagining yourself with a basket on your head.
Imagine the result if you if you stand with your feet together versus if you stand with your feet a shoulder width’s apart. You’ll definitely feel more stability with your feet apart, right? The same is true in SUV rollover reports: the farther the tires (feet) are from one another, the more stable the SUV will be and the less likely for SUV rollovers to happen.
In theory, this is a perfect way to determine how likely your SUV is to rollover. That said, there are things that your SUV rollover report isn’t telling you. For instance, the vast majority of SUV rollovers occur when the driver accidentally (or purposely) drives off of the road and a wheel of the SUV hits a ditch, bump, curb, or other change.
The speed you are traveling also makes a difference, and a reaction to running off the road can play into the rollover as well. Would you slam on your brakes or pump the pedal? Would you jerk the wheel to gain control or try to keep steady, would you shift gears? Each of these factors in your own personal situation will help to determine if you will be involved in a rollover or not.
Also, one must take into consideration other safety features of an SUV before buying. When compared to all other vehicles, SUVs are, hands down, the safest in a collision due to their size and build. Use your common sense if you are worried about SUV rollovers. Death occurs largely do to the roof crushing, so of course a less stable roof, found if the roof is removable or has a sunroof, will be more dangerous if you actually get into a rollover situation.
That doesn’t mean that a rollover report is senseless. The rollover report’s SSF should weigh in your mind at least a bit, and can help you to decide between two vehicles if you are truly on the fence. Drive safely and SUV rollovers should never be an issue in the first place. All the safety reports in the world can’t make up for a bad driver.
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 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com
Seven SUV Rollover Tips
SUVs are notoriously known in the automobile industry for being quick to get into rollover accidents. While this is not a totally unfounded claim, it is also important to note that SUV rollovers typically don’t happen because of manufacturer defects or design flaws’ they happen because drivers are dangerous in a vehicle that is already prone to rollovers under certain conditions.
But how’s a driver to stay safe? SUV rollovers happen more commonly than rollovers in other vehicles because, essentially, SUVs are top heavy.
There’s nothing you can really do to change that, short of not buying an SUV, but there are tips you can use to stay safe from SUV rollover no matter what kind of vehicle you drive. Take these tips to heart, they could very well save your life.
1. You can avoid SUV rollovers by choosing a smart SUV. Know what you’re buying before you buy it! Check out consumer reports, guides, and rollover ratings. In general, SUV rollovers are most likely to happen with vehicles that are tall and skinny. The best SUVs to buy when you’re hoping to prevent rollover are the ones that have a father distance between the tires in the back.
2. The second tip, which you cannot overlook, is to drive your SUV “like an SUV”. If you’re used to driving a car, or even a truck or van, it is tricky to jump into an SUV and take off. You can’t take curves as quickly in an SUV. If you try, rollover is likely. Before you speed down the highway, take a few days or weeks to learn the feel of your SUV’s steering, brakes, acceleration, and so on.
3. When dealing with an SUV, drive safely. This is, of course, the best tip to use when driving anything, but it is important to note that most SUV rollovers only happen when the SUV goes off of the main road. If you’re chatting on your cell phone, doing your makeup in the car, or tending to yelling children in the backseat, it is much more likely that you’ll run off of the road, where you’ll hit a ditch, curb, bump, or obstacle and be thrown head over heels.
4. To go hand-in-hand with the last tip, drive according to the road conditions. SUV rollovers are more likely on rural roads, simply because potholes are more common. If you’re driving on a dirt road or road that rarely gets repaired after the winter, having an SUV can prevent you from sticking in the mud, but at the same time, a pothole can cause you to become off balance and, in effect cause an SUV rollover.
Remember that driving for the road conditions also includes the weather. If it’s raining, snowing, or foggy, slow down.
5. Avoid panicking when steering. The common response to losing control is to over-steer in attempts to regain control. Don’t panic and fall into this trap! You’ll only make matters much worse. Instead, grab the wheel firmly and try to keep the vehicle going in a straight path, as you pump the brakes to slow.
When you panic and steer sharply, it has the same effects of going around a turn too quickly, and SUV rollovers are common.
6. Keep your car in tip-top shape if you want to avoid SUV rollover. Most importantly, check your tire pressure. If one tire is running low on air, this will not only cause efficiency problems, but will also make your SUV be prone to rollover.
Keep in mind also that ESC systems are now available to upgrade your SUV. This kind of a system monitors your vehicle and your movements to prevent rollover. If you carry things in your SUV, make sure that these things are distributed evenly according to weight. Centrifugal force plays a huge roll in SUV rollovers, so check your loaded items often.
7. Wear your seatbelt. Okay, this isn’t exactly a way to prevent SUV rollovers, but it is a way to prevent death if your SUV should happen to rollover, for whatever reason. More fatalities occur because the driver or passenger was thrown completely or partially out of the SUV as it rolled, and reports show that buckling up can reduce your risk of death when in an SUV rollover by up to 75%.
Be safe, be smart, and if you do happen to become involved with an SUV rollover, which can happen to even the best drivers, contact a lawyer to learn about your legal rights.
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 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com
A Safer SUV: Preventing Rollover
People are afraid to fly, afraid to play extreme sports, and afraid to bungee jump, and yet they jump into their vehicles without batting an eyelash. Unfortunately, more deaths are contributed to motor vehicle crashes than almost any other health or accident cause.
That doesn’t mean you have to stop driving, but what it does mean is that you should take extra precautions to stay safe while on the road, for your sake and for the sake of other drivers. For SUV owners, this means taking positive steps toward preventing SUV rollovers.
SUV rollovers are commonly caused by driving off of the regular road and hitting a ditch, bump, or obstacle, which causes the SUV to flip. However, rollover also can happen when traveling around curves too quickly over in adverse conditions. You can look at your SUV’s official rollover report to learn about the safety of your specific vehicle.
In general, a lower center of gravity is preferred, because it means that your SUV is less top-heavy and more likely to stay upright when going around curves. You can consider this on the most basic level by simply comparing your SUV to other SUVs on the market. How far apart are the back wheels and how proportionate is the top half to the bottom half? The father apart the tires and the heavier the bottom half in relation to the top, the safer your SUV will be when it comes to rollover.
If safety is important to you and your family, but you just don’t want to give up your top-heavy SUV, you can purchase an ESC (Electronic Stability Control). These devices can greatly reduce your risk of SUV rollovers while traveling in your SUV, and on top of that, it’s a pretty cool new gadget to test out in your car!
The ESC using an electronic sensory system to actually detect when you’re going to lose control of your SUV. You don’t even have to do anything. The ESC will automatically step in and do whatever it needs to do to help your vehicle stay in control. A number of different studies have tested the ESC, and all have concluded that this system can help to save lives, so this product is truly in the industry to save. Unless you absolutely have no way of paying for it, get an ESC for your SUV to prevent SUV rollovers and possibly save lives.
How could an electronic device possible control your vehicle to prevent SUV rollovers? After you install it in your car, the microcomputer will monitor your speed, throttle position, cylinder pressure, acceleration, braking, steering wheel angle, and more. It basically compares what you are trying to do with what the vehicle is actually doing.
For example, it can notice that your breaking and prevent the tires from locking up. How does this help with rollover? The computer can sense when your wheels on one side are beginning to lift and it can use single-tire braking and over methods to help shift weight to keep your SUV stable.
Of course, no system is fool-proof, and the ESC is not a replacement for common sense when you’re driving your SUV. The next time you purchase a vehicle, it’s a good idea to get an ESC – they’re called different things with different makers, so you may see the names StabiliTrak, AdvanceTrac, Vehicle Dynamics Control, and Precision Control System, among other things. However, take SUV rollover prevention into your own hands as well for the safest driving experience possible.
The vast majority of SUV rollovers don’t happen when traveling about curves too fast; they happen when you lose control and drive off of the normal road. Off-road, there are things like curbs, ditches, tree roots, and other kinds of bumps that can catch a wheel and spend you flying head over heels. Your ESC system, no matter how well it works, can prevent this type of thing from happening.
Stay safe when driving and you’ll go a long way in preventing SUV rollovers. Stay off of your cell phone unless its and emergency, don’t eat or play with the radio while driving, and generally keep your attention focused on the road.
Remember, you have to watch out for not only yourself, but other drivers as well, so reaction is as important as personal action. Be informed about vehicular safety and the new products on the market, like the ESC, and with a little common sense, you should be able to avoid all SUV 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 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com