Vehicle Rollover

Under the federal TREAD Act of 2000 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for conducting vehicle rollover tests in order to provide consumers with vehicle safety information. These rollover tests are comprised of eight rollover resistance maneuvers, an assessment of the vehicles'' static stability factor (SSF), and the vehicles'' propensity to lift up on two wheels during rollover test maneuvers. This vehicle rollover information is included in the New Car Assessment Program conducted by NHTSA.

The initiation of vehicle rollover tests was prompted largely in part by the growing concern about the frequency at which SUVs, or sports utility vehicles, rolled over during single vehicle accidents. Concern over SUV safety has provoked apprehension in consumer advocacy groups and government groups for decades in light of the high frequency of reported SUV rollover accidents.

SUVs are involved in more than half of all vehicle rollover accidents every year. SUVs are three times more likely to rollover in an accident due to their inherent design than are passenger vehicles. SUVs are taller and narrower than other passenger cars, making them far less stable on the road. In 2003 almost 5,000 people were killed in SUV vehicle rollover accidents; an eleven percent increase from 2002.

Vehicle rollover test results from 2003 reveal that the average SUV has a vehicle rollover risk of thirty-six percent; compared to light trucks with a 24 percent risk, vans at 19 percent, and passenger cars at 12 percent. There were three SUVs that were deemed least likely to rollover in an accident: the Chrysler Pacifica, Nissan Murano, and the Honda Pilot. The SUV most at risk for vehicle rollover was the Ford Explorer Sport Trak.

Vehicle rollover tests are conducted by the federal government with two objectives. The first is to establish an unbiased method of determining whether or not it is in the best interest of consumer safety to implement a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to establish a maximum level of acceptable vehicle rollover propensity. The second is to develop a body of information that can be utilized by consumers when making vehicle purchase decisions.

SUV vehicle rollover is a preventable phenomenon. There are design manipulations that can be made to the overall build of an SUV that would make vehicle rollover less likely. SUV manufacturers have historically recognized the risks of vehicle rollover, but have forgone design changes to prevent SUV revenue loss. By making the build of an SUV more similar in structure to the design of a passenger car, while still maintaining the vehicle image consumers are drawn to, SUV vehicle rollover risks could be greatly mitigated. Vehicle rollover test findings may generate demands to increase the safety of SUVs as consumers become informed about the safety risks associated with sports utility vehicles. Experts in the field claim that informed consumers who demand safer cars are the group most likely to prompt safety design changes in SUVs.

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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Vehicle Rollover

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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