By far the deadliest risk facing SUV , minivan , and truck occupier is a rollover accident . According to NHTSA ( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ) , more than 280,000 rollover accidents are reported each year , arrogate more than 10,000 life sentence annually .
In 2003 , 35.7 percent of fateful SUV crashes resulted in a rollover . That same class just 15.8 of fatal passenger car stroke result in a rollover . What this statistic points out is the fact that SUVs are much more potential to rollover in a serious accidents . compound the issue is the fact that SUVs often carry heavy burden with make them even more top - heavy and thus are more likely to be demand in rollover accidents .
Causes of Rollover Accidents
Rollover stroke are at once related to a vehicle ’s constancy in tour . That stableness is regulate by the relationship between the shopping center of gravity and the track width ( distance between the left and right rack ) . A high center of somberness and narrow track can make a vehicle unstable in fast turns or tart changes of direction – increasing the betting odds that it will tip over once it begins to skid sideways . The problem is most pronounced in 4 - wheel - drive pickup hand truck and variation - public-service corporation vehicle , which have a high ground clearance for off - road drive .
Most fatal 4WD rollover are unmarried - vehicle accident that come about on weekend nights . The driver are most oftentimes males under 25 , and alcohol is ordinarily involved . In three out of four fatal rollovers , the victims were ejected from the vehicle , indicating they were n’t wearing a seat belt .
Rollover Accident Risk Rating System
Neither cars nor motortruck are capable to a federal rollover standard , though pressure for such a requirement has been building . To aid predict which vehicles might have a greater likeliness to overturn in single - vehicle accident , NHTSA introduced a rollover rating system in 2001 . Reported on a five - star organisation , the rollover ratings are ground on an engineering depth psychology of each vehicle ’s center of gravity and the width between the front tires . The termination are compared with law chance event reports for confirmation . In its rating system , five stars equals a rollover risk of less than 10 percent , while one star topology bespeak a greater than 40 per centum rollover risk .
