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more_legal_areas suvSports utility vehicle accident statistics provide very valuable information to consumers who are concerned about the safety of SUV vehicles. Sports utility vehicle accident statistics are provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which is responsible for testing the safety of SUVs and enforcing applicable laws and safety regulations. In order to put sports utility vehicle accident statistics into context, it may be beneficial to understand some general transportation accident statistics.
Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death and disability for people aged five to twenty seven in the United States. Ninety-nine percent of all transportation injuries are the result of motor vehicle accidents. Despite this high percentage, the Department of Transportation only allocates one percent of its resources to traffic safety.
Sports utility vehicle accident statistics are also better understood when looking at recent SUV purchasing trends. One of every four automobiles sold in the United States is a sports utility vehicle. Every SUV purchase produces $15,000 in revenue for the vehicle''s maker. With high consumer demand and lucrative sales potential, the makers of SUVs have been accused of allowing safety to take the back seat when it comes to the design and production of their products.
Sports utility vehicle accident statistics show that SUVs are three times more likely to rollover in a single vehicle accident than any other car on the road. Of all vehicle accidents, rollover crashes are among the most fatal. Sports utility vehicle accident statistics comprise only three percent of the total number of accidents, yet three times that number of SUVs is involved in fatal rollover accidents. Sixty three percent of all SUV deaths and 46 percent of all SUV injuries are the result of rollover every year.
In 2003, sports utility vehicle accident statistics indicated that 4,451 people died in SUV accidents. This is an eleven percent increase from 2002. The increase in these sports utility vehicle accident statistics is alarming because the dangers of SUV rollover have been known for decades, yet SUV manufacturers have taken no effective steps to make their products safe for consumer use.
The government and other consumer advocacy groups have made numerous efforts to prompt an increase in SUV safety. Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, has exposed sports utility vehicle accident statistics urging lawmakers and vehicle manufacturers to mandate and supply safer automobiles. In 2000, the federal government began a program that evaluates SUV rollover safety ratings as part of the New Car Assessment Program.
Sports utility vehicle accident statistics and government ratings indicate which SUVs on the market are safest and most dangerous (in terms of rollover). When consumers are armed with SUV safety information and sports utility vehicle accident statistics, they are better equipped to choose a safer vehicle and more apt to demand that vehicle manufacturers make changes in SUV design in order to make a safer vehicle.
A California court of appeals ordered Ford Motor Company to pay a jury award of $82.6 million to a woman left paralyzed after a rollover accident in 2002.
In June 2004, Benetta Buell-Wilson and her husband were awarded $369 million, including ...
The first Congress attempt to mandate a standard for SUV rollover protection was in the mid-1980s right after SUVs began to grow in popularity. The auto industry has been able to block any SUV rollover standard thus far, though pressure for congressio...
A San Diego County jury awarded $369 million to a woman left paralyzed when her Ford Explorer rolled over, marking one of the largest personal-injury awards ever against an automaker.
Benetta Buell-Wilson was awarded $246 million in puniti...