Roughly half of all fatal single-vehicle car accidents involved a car overturning and about 33 percent of all traffic accidents deaths in passenger cars were rollover crashes.
This type of accident is one of the most deadly, second only to crashes involving head-on collisions, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports. About 10,000 people are killed in the United States every year in a rollover crash, according to the safercar.gov.
Whether a person walks away from a rollover crash quite often depends on if they were wearing a seat belt or not. This type of crash involves injuries that are typically severe if not fatal. The death rates for these types of accidents are much higher than other types of crashes for obvious reasons. So what causes a vehicle to overturn and what can be done to prevent this from happening in the first place?
Driver Overcorrects
Drivers often veer out of their painted traffic lane without realizing it and when they discover they are going over the line, they jerk the wheel back in the opposite direction causing the potential for the vehicle to overturn. This can happen when a driver dozes off behind the wheel, they are trying to avoid a crash with another vehicle or an object in the road or they are distracted, under the influence of alcohol or drugs or many other reasons. The way to prevent a rollover crash is to gently turn the wheel to get back on track, never drive drowsy and keep your eyes on the road at all times.
A Car is Tripped
A vehicle most often overturns when it is tripped by an object in the roadway or uneven pavement on the ground. The trip device could be a tree root or branch, a fallen object, a cement median, a guardrail or another vehicle. The driver who hits a trip will often flip over as a result. These types of crashes are not always avoidable, but drivers who are observant of road conditions may be able to avoid this type of crash.
Top Heavy Vehicles
If you drive a top-heavy vehicle such as an SUV or a pickup truck, you are more likely to be involved in a rollover crash than a driver in the average sedan. Statistics show that roughly 60 percent of all SUV crashes and 46 percent of pickup truck accidents, involved a rollover compared to only 25 percent of sedans.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving
High speed driving, weaving in and out of traffic lanes, abrupt lane changes, these may all lead to a rollover crash because the vehicles are not designed to handle this type of driving. Drivers who are drinking or under the influence of drugs are more likely to driver erratically, speed or driver aggressively. Never get behind the wheel if you are under the influence.
Help for Victims of Rollover Crashes — Call 800-235-6801 for a Free Consultation
If you were injured in a rollover crash and would like to speak with an attorney about a potential claim, contact Johnson Attorneys Group for a free consultation. Taking steps to secure your legal rights is necessary if you wish to obtain full compensation for your losses. Call us today at 800-235-6801.
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