SUV Rollover Questions

Why do consumers need to know about SUV rollovers?

Rollovers do not occur as often as other types of crashes, but when they do occur, they often result in a serious injury or death. SUV rollover accidents accounted for more than 10,000 fatalities in the United States in 1999, which is more than side and rear crashes combined. The result was thousands of serious injuries. Some rollover accidents may be preventable if consumers realize the dangers involved in SUV vehicles and the serious and tragic injuries that can result.

How do most SUV rollovers occur?

Studies of real-world single-vehicle crashes show that more than 90% of rollovers occur after a driver runs off of the road. This is not referring to vehicles trying to negotiate difficult trails away from public roads, rather it refers to vehicles rolling over off of the pavement after the driver has lost control of the vehicle. The pavement, a ditch, soft soil, curb or other tripping mechanism usually initiates the rollover accident once the vehicle slides off.

What does the NHTSA''S rollover resistance rating mean?

The Rollover Resistance Ratings are based on Static Stability Factor, which is essentially a measure of how top heavy a vehicle is. The Rollover Resistance Ratings of vehicles were compared to 220,000 actual single vehicle crashes, and the ratings were found to relate very closely to the real-world rollover experience of vehicles. Based on these studies, NHTSA found that taller, narrower vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles, are more likely than lower, wider vehicles, such as passenger cars, to trip and roll over once they leave the roadway. Accordingly, NHTSA awards more stars to wider and/or lower vehicles. The Rollover Resistance Rating, however, does not address the causes of the driver losing control and the vehicle leaving the roadway in the first place.

Do vehicles with higher rollover resistance ratings mean it is safe from SUV rollovers?

Even a five-star vehicle has up to a 10% risk of rolling over in a single vehicle crash.

Does electronic stability control affect SUV rollovers?

Most rollovers occur when a vehicle runs off the road and strikes a curb, soft shoulder, guard rail or other object that "trips" it. The Rollover Resistance Ratings estimate the risk of rollover in event of a single vehicle crash, mostly when the vehicle runs off the road. Electronic Stability Control is designed to assist drivers in maintaining control of their vehicles during extreme steering maneuvers. It senses when a vehicle is starting to spin out (oversteer) or plow out (understeer), and it turns the vehicle to the appropriate heading by automatically applying the brake at one or more wheels. Some systems also automatically slow the vehicle with further brake and throttle intervention. What makes Electronic Stability Control promising is the possibility that with its aid many drivers will avoid running off the road and having a single vehicle crash in the first place. However, ESC cannot keep a vehicle on the road if its speed is simply too great for the available traction and the maneuver the driver is attempting, or if road departure is a result of driver inattention. In these cases, a single vehicle crash will happen, and the rollover resistance rating will apply as it does to all vehicles in the event of a single vehicle crash.

SUV Rollover Breaking News

"Cross Country Trip Turned Fatal"

A San Jose woman was killed Saturday in a SUV rollover accident that happened in Colorado.

The accident reportedly also claimed the life of a friend who was foll...

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"$82.6 Million Paid to Ford Rollover Victim"

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 ...

» Read More

"Reduction in SUV rollovers avoided for too long"

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...

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SUV Rollover Questions

SUV Rollover Breaking News

"Cross Country Trip Turned Fatal"

"$82.6 Million Paid to Ford Rollover Victim"

"Reduction in SUV rollovers avoided for too long"

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