Auto Rollover Accidents Are Not Common But Devastating
The many SUVs on the road along with other vehicles have the potential to be involved in a rollover accident. This may happen when the vehicle is steered suddenly in one direction and then control of the vehicle is lost and the weight shift leads the vehicle to turn over. The National Highway Safety Administration website states that although rollovers only constituted about 2.1 percent of all crashes in 2010, these crashes accounted for 35 percent of traffic fatalities involving passenger vehicle accidents for that year.
These crashes seem to happen more in rural areas according to the NHTSA and one of the contributing factors is the tire pressure or older tires. These problems can lead to sliding off the road and, if that road is in a rural area, a ditch may be hit and contribute to the rollover.
Have Auto Manufacturers Addressed this Problem?
Rollovers continue to happen and there have been some attempts to prevent them by the auto manufacturers. But some of these preventive measures may not always work as intended. For example the ESC (electronic stability control) which helps to slow a vehicle down by braking individual wheels when it senses traction may be lost is a help but, if it malfunctions, a problem could be made worse by stopping a tire that should be turning.
Improper tire pressure can contribute to rollovers and some vehicles do have warning lights for tire pressure problems. If that fails to work however another rollover may happen that could have been avoided. Since these accidents can be so devastating, all of these factors as well as many others such as was the car recalled due to too many rollover incidents in the past will be investigated by your Rollover accident attorney.
If you or a family member has been injured in one of these accidents please contact the Lassiter Law Firm. We have experience in this area of practicing law and will help you recover rightful damages that you have suffered in an accident that was not your fault.