Vehicle Rollovers: Causes and Prevention

 Posted on December 19, 2018 in Car Accidents

Vehicle collisions are often traumatic incidents which can cause injury or death. Car accidents themselves are bad enough, but if your vehicle rolls over it can be even more traumatic. Safety measures have advanced greatly in recent years, but a rollover is still one of the most deadly types of serious crashes.

Even though vehicle rollovers only happen in about 3% of major crashes, they cause around 30% of deaths in passenger vehicles. Injuries or death due to vehicle rollovers can be decreased with more people wearing seat belts, better safety measures, and vehicle designs that focus on rollover avoidance. Until more of those measures are put in place, drivers should focus on learning what causes rollovers and how to prevent them.

Causes

Most rollovers are caused by a vehicle swerving onto something such as a median, curb, or pothole. When a vehicle swerves onto a pothole or something similar, it is called “tripping” because the vehicle is tripping over the obstacle and rolling over. When vehicles “trip” over obstacles, they are thrown off balance and much more likely to roll over.

Certain vehicles are also more prone to rolling over, such as SUVs, trucks, and vans. For those types of vehicles, in particular, they are more in danger of traversing a curve too quickly and losing their grip on the road with their tires. Tires are also an important element in determining causes of rollovers. If a tire has too much grip or too little grip, it can cause too much force to accumulate during a slide and cause the vehicle to tip.

Prevention

The best way to prevent rollovers is by following a combination of simple steps:

• Newer vehicles are better- New vehicles have better safety measures, such as increased quality of airbags and electronic stability control. Safety measures will help prevent rollovers.
• Watching speed- Making sure you are following speed limits, especially around curves, is essential. The speed limits are there for a reason, and traveling over them increases the risks of driving.
• Tires- Keeping your tires properly inflated and checking them periodically to make sure they have enough grip will decrease the likelihood of a rollover.
• Seat belts- Wearing a seatbelt can save lives in a rollover crash. The forces from the collision would toss drivers and passengers all around the vehicle if they are not strapped in.

Contact a Compassionate DuPage County Vehicle Collision Attorney

If you were injured due to a vehicle rollover or car accident and wish to seek compensation, the attorneys at The Law Offices of David W. Clark, P.C. will be able to assist you with your case. You will need a passionate and caring Bloomingdale automobile accident lawyer to help you pursue the damages you desire. Call us today at 630-665-5678 for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/02/rollover-101/index.htm