Top 6 Causes of Vehicle Rollover Accidents
Rollover accidents occur when a vehicle flips over onto its side or roof, often caused by a sharp turn made at high speed. More than in other types of car accidents, rollover accidents involve the driver’s handling, the road and environmental factors that affect road conditions.
Seek the help of a roll over accident attorney
If you were injured in a roll over accident due to the negligence of another driver, call a roll over car accident attorney as soon as you are able. The rollover accident lawyer can discuss your legal rights and may be able to help you recover damages for your injuries.
What are the most common reasons vehicles flip over?
Supported by data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are six main factors that contribute to the risk of vehicle rollover accidents.
Type of vehicle
While any type of vehicle could be part of a vehicle rollover, SUVs, pickup trucks and vans are at increased risk because of their height and shape; they are taller and narrower than most other types of vehicles. The higher center of gravity that accompanies the height and shape puts these drivers and passengers at increased risk for a rollover accident if they are involved in a single-vehicle crash.
High speed
Approximately 40 percent of fatal rollover car accidents involve excessive speeding. Fatal rollover car crashes more often involve speeding than other types of fatal car accidents. Of particular note is that almost 75 percent of fatal rollovers took place on roadways with a posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or higher.
Driving while intoxicated
Almost half of all fatal rollover crashes involve a drunk driver. Even a slight impairment can be enough to reduce muscle coordination and reflexes and blur vision, which increases the chance of losing control of your vehicle.
Rural roads
Roads with clear divisions and barriers help to decrease the risk of rollover accidents but rural roads tend not to have these safety measures. As a result, almost 75 percent of fatal rollovers happen on rural roads and in rural areas with a typically posted speed limit of 55 miles per hour or higher.
Routine driving
NHTSA data suggests that more than 90 percent of fatal, single-vehicle rollover crashes involved a driver doing routine driving maneuvers like driving straight ahead and taking a curve or turn in the road. From this finding we may be able to infer that driver behavior such as distracted or impaired driving, type of vehicle and road conditions play the biggest roles in the risk of rollover accidents.
Single-car crashes
According to NHTSA data, almost 85 percent of all rollover accident deaths are the direct result of single-vehicle crashes. What this means is that the vast majority of rollover accidents only involve one vehicle. If you or a loved one was injured in a single-vehicle rollover accident, contact a single vehicle roll-over injury lawyer as soon as you are able.
Rollover fatality statistics
Car rollover accidents are scary and dangerous; they carry a higher fatality rate than other kinds of car accidents. On the bright side, rollover crashes are relatively rare: of the almost 9.1 million motor vehicle accidents that occurred in 2010, only 2.1 percent involved a rollover. The problem is that rollover accidents accounted for a disproportionate amount of deaths; a whopping 35 percent of all deaths from passenger vehicle crashes. In 2010 alone, over 7,600 people died in rollover crashes. It must be noted that 69 percent of these drivers/passengers were not wearing seat belts.
If you or a loved one is dealing with an accident or injury, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
