Auto Accidents- Rollovers Are Deadly
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Auto accidents: Rollovers are deadly
Vehicle rollovers (for all vehicles, not just SUVs) cause more fatalities than any other kind of motor vehicle accident and account for one-fourth of all deaths yearly. In 1999, 63 percent of all SUV deaths were in rollovers. In 2000 SUVs, had the highest rollover involvement rate of any vehicle type in fatal crashes and SUVs had the highest rollover rate for passenger vehicles in injury crashes - 12 percent compared to 7 percent for pickups, 4 percent for vans, and 3 percent for passenger cars? Baton rouge auto accident lawyer have found that since SUV manufacturers did not warn the public prior to releasing the vehicles of their unhealthy rollover rate, jury awards have been much more than modest. Rollovers are especially life threatening. Although they account for just 2 percent of all accidents, they account for 32 percent of all traffic deaths according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal statistics show that SUVs are two to three times more likely to roll than cars. Moreover, SUV rollovers are much more likely to be fatal - 63 percent of the time in SUVs vs. about 23 percent of the time in cars. Many baton rouge auto accident lawyer believes that SUVs are actually safer than other vehicles, and automakers have done nothing to discourage this thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth. The occupant death rate in SUVs is 6 percent higher that it is for cars, and it is 8 percent higher in the largest SUVs. The main reason for this is the risk of rollover. SUVs do not handle well, so drivers cannot respond quickly enough when they hit a patch of uneven pavement or scrape a guardrail. Even a small bump in the road is enough to flip an SUV traveling at high speed. Even more dangerous, the roofs of SUVs are not reinforcing to protect passengers in the case of a rollover, and the government has no requirement that they should be. Brasher adds in his book that because of their weight and front-end brakes, they handle poorly in bad weather and have trouble stopping on slick roads. Despite their spacious interiors, they are so poorly design that they are not capable of handling heavy loads. In fact, additional weight or even extra passengers increase the danger. The more weight put in the back of the SUV, the less weight there is over the front wheels, which control steering and braking. A contributing factor in the Ford Explorer-Firestone tire debacle of several years ago was that drivers were not told that their Explorers couldn't carry any more weight that a Ford Taurus. The extra weight routinely piled in these big cars stressed the tires, made them fall apart, and contributed to rollover deaths. The perceived safety issue was back in the news earlier this year with an article published in the medical journal Pediatrics. Despite their size, sports utility vehicles are not any safer for children, the study said. Baton rouge auto accident lawyer wrote that they think some parents choose SUVs because they mistakenly believe it makes their children safer.
About The Author
Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately or visit http://www.toplawyersinbatonrouge.com/auto_accident_lawyer_attorney_baton_rouge_la.php to request a free case evaluation.
Vehicle rollovers (for all vehicles, not just SUVs) cause more fatalities than any other kind of motor vehicle accident and account for one-fourth of all deaths yearly. In 1999, 63 percent of all SUV deaths were in rollovers. In 2000 SUVs, had the highest rollover involvement rate of any vehicle type in fatal crashes and SUVs had the highest rollover rate for passenger vehicles in injury crashes - 12 percent compared to 7 percent for pickups, 4 percent for vans, and 3 percent for passenger cars? Baton rouge auto accident lawyer have found that since SUV manufacturers did not warn the public prior to releasing the vehicles of their unhealthy rollover rate, jury awards have been much more than modest. Rollovers are especially life threatening. Although they account for just 2 percent of all accidents, they account for 32 percent of all traffic deaths according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Federal statistics show that SUVs are two to three times more likely to roll than cars. Moreover, SUV rollovers are much more likely to be fatal - 63 percent of the time in SUVs vs. about 23 percent of the time in cars. Many baton rouge auto accident lawyer believes that SUVs are actually safer than other vehicles, and automakers have done nothing to discourage this thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth. The occupant death rate in SUVs is 6 percent higher that it is for cars, and it is 8 percent higher in the largest SUVs. The main reason for this is the risk of rollover. SUVs do not handle well, so drivers cannot respond quickly enough when they hit a patch of uneven pavement or scrape a guardrail. Even a small bump in the road is enough to flip an SUV traveling at high speed. Even more dangerous, the roofs of SUVs are not reinforcing to protect passengers in the case of a rollover, and the government has no requirement that they should be. Brasher adds in his book that because of their weight and front-end brakes, they handle poorly in bad weather and have trouble stopping on slick roads. Despite their spacious interiors, they are so poorly design that they are not capable of handling heavy loads. In fact, additional weight or even extra passengers increase the danger. The more weight put in the back of the SUV, the less weight there is over the front wheels, which control steering and braking. A contributing factor in the Ford Explorer-Firestone tire debacle of several years ago was that drivers were not told that their Explorers couldn't carry any more weight that a Ford Taurus. The extra weight routinely piled in these big cars stressed the tires, made them fall apart, and contributed to rollover deaths. The perceived safety issue was back in the news earlier this year with an article published in the medical journal Pediatrics. Despite their size, sports utility vehicles are not any safer for children, the study said. Baton rouge auto accident lawyer wrote that they think some parents choose SUVs because they mistakenly believe it makes their children safer.
About The Author
Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately or visit http://www.toplawyersinbatonrouge.com/auto_accident_lawyer_attorney_baton_rouge_la.php to request a free case evaluation.
