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10 Tips for Avoiding a Rollover

Rollovers are dangerous incidents and have a higher fatality rate than other kinds of crashes. Although only about 3% of the car accidents each year involve a rollover, rollovers usually account for about 33% of all deaths from passenger vehicle crashes. The majority of rollover fatalities, over 70%, were not wearing seat belts.

1. Buy a Vehicle with a Good Rollover Rating. All types of vehicles can rollover. However, taller, narrower vehicles such as SUVs, pickups, and vans have higher centers of gravity, and thus are more susceptible to rollover if involved in a single-vehicle crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) test-crashes vehicles and rates them. You can check NHTSA rollover ratings at http://www.safercar.gov/ before purchasing a vehicle.
2. Do Not Drive at Excessive Speeds. Each year about 40% of fatal rollover crashes involve excessive speeding.
3. Do Not Drink and Drive. Nearly half of all fatal rollover crashes involve alcohol. Impairment can result from any blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above .00. Even a small amount of alcohol will negatively affect your judgment, muscular coordination, and vision, making you more likely to lose control of your vehicle.
4. Use Caution on Rural Roads. Rollovers are more likely to occur on rural roads and highways—particularly undivided, two-way roads or divided roads with no barriers. When a vehicle goes off a rural road, the vehicle can overturn when it strikes a ditch or embankment, or is tripped by soft soil. Nearly 75% of all rollover crashes occur in rural areas, so practice caution when driving on rural roads.
5. Be Attentive and Don’t Drive Impaired. Over 90% of the vehicles in fatal, single-vehicle rollover crashes were involved in routine driving maneuvers (going straight or negotiating a curve) at the time of the crash. Furthermore, nearly 85% of all rollover-related fatalities are the result of single-vehicle crashes. These statistics suggest that driver behavior (distraction, inattentiveness, speeding, and impaired driving) plays a significant role in rollover crashes.
6. Stay on the Road. NHTSA data show that 95% of single-vehicle rollovers are tripped. This happens when a vehicle leaves the roadway and slides sideways, digging its tires into soft soil or striking an object such as a curb or guardrail. The high tripping force applied to the tires in these situations can cause the vehicle to roll over.
7. Avoid Panic-like Steering. Many rollovers occur when drivers overcorrect their steering as a panic reaction to an emergency—or even to a wheel going off the pavement’s edge. At highway speeds, overcorrecting or excessive steering can cause the driver to lose control, which can force the vehicle to slide sideways and roll over.
8. 8. Know Proper Maneuvering. If your vehicle leaves the roadway, gradually reduce speed. Then, when it's safe to do so, ease the vehicle back onto the roadway.
9. Maintain Your Tires. Improperly inflated and worn tires can be especially dangerous because they inhibit your ability to maintain vehicle control, the most important factor in reducing the chance of rollover. Worn tires may cause the vehicle to slide sideways on wet or slippery pavement, sliding the vehicle off the road and increasing its risk of rolling over. Improper inflation can accelerate tire wear, and can even lead to tire failure. It is important to maintain your tires properly, and replace them when necessary.
10. Load Vehicles Properly. Consult your vehicle's owner’s manual to determine the maximum safe load for your vehicle, as well as proper load distribution. If you’re using a roof rack, pay special attention to the manufacturer’s instructions and weight limits. Any load placed on the roof will be above the vehicle’s center of gravity, and will increase the vehicle’s likelihood of rolling over.

Pritzker Olsen is a national law firm and represents people injured in rollover accidents throughout the United States. To contact the firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

Source: SaferCar.gov

Labels: injury, product liability

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