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By far the deadliest risk facing SUV, minivan, and
truck occupants is a rollover accident.
According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration), more than 280,000 rollover accidents are reported each year,
claiming more than 10,000 lives annually.
In 2003, 35.7 percent of fatal SUV crashes resulted in
a rollover. That same year just 15.8 of fatal passenger car accidents resulted
in a rollover.
What this statistic points out is the fact that SUV’s
are much more likely to rollover in a serious accidents. Compounding the issue
is the fact that SUV's often carry heavy loads with make them even more
top-heavy and thus are more likely to be involved in rollover accidents.
Causes
of Rollover Accidents
Rollover accidents are directly
related to a vehicle's stability in turns.
That stability is influenced
by the relationship between the center of gravity and the track width (distance
between the left and right wheels).
A high center of gravity and
narrow track can make a vehicle unstable in fast turns or sharp changes of direction -- increasing the odds that it will tip
over once it begins to skid sideways.
The problem is most pronounced in 4-wheel-drive
pick-up trucks and sport-utility vehicles, which have a higher ground
clearance for off-road driving.
Many
SUVs have roll-stability control systems
that work to prevent rollover
accidents.
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Most fatal 4WD rollovers are single-vehicle accidents
that occur on weekend nights.
The drivers are most frequently males under 25, and
alcohol is usually involved.
In three out of four fatal rollovers, the victims were
ejected from the vehicle, indicating they weren't wearing a seatbelt.
Rollover
Accident Risk Rating System
Neither
cars nor trucks are subject to a federal rollover standard, though pressure for
such a requirement has been building.
To help
predict which vehicles might have a greater likelihood to overturn in
single-vehicle accidents, NHTSA introduced a rollover rating system in 2001.
Reported
on a five-star system, the rollover ratings are based on an engineering
analysis of each vehicle's center of gravity and the width between the front tires.
The
results are compared with police accident reports for confirmation.
In its
rating system, five stars equals a rollover risk of less than 10
percent, while one star indicates a greater than 40 percent rollover risk.
https://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/accidents-hazardous-conditions/28002-rollover-accidents-explained.htm
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