What Are Common Causes of Rollover Accidents?

Rollover accidents, especially single-vehicle rollovers, are not particularly common—but they are particularly dangerous. Consumer Reports calls such accidents among the most deadly on the road. Even though rollovers constitute less than three percent of all serious vehicle accidents, they are responsible for more than 30 percent of all passenger vehicle accident fatalities. While any vehicle can roll over, higher, narrower vehicles are at greater risk. A higher center of gravity in particular makes a vehicle subject to greater risk of rolling over in an accident. According to Consumer Reports, though, most single-vehicle rollovers are caused by “trips,” including:

• Running into a curb
• Hitting a pothole
• Running onto a soft road shoulder

Faulty steering by the driver is not usually the cause of single-vehicle rollover accidents. According to Consumer Reports, the federal government estimates that 95 percent of one-vehicle rollovers are the result of trips.

This applies in large measure to rollovers by tractor-trailer trucks, which can end up being fatal for nearby passenger car drivers. One federal study found that the primary causes of truck rollovers included:

• Failing to adjust speed to curves in the road, mostly while negotiating on-and off-ramps, resulted in almost half of all truck rollover accidents
• Brake conditions
• Road surfaces
• Inattention, including dozing or falling asleep, and distractions
• Over-steering to the point of rolling over, not steering enough to stay in lanes, and overcorrecting to the point of having to counter-steer to remain on the road

Precautions You Can Take to Avoid Rollover Accidents

Consumer Reports discusses how to keep safe from rollover accidents. Some are simple, some are more expensive and complicated, but all will help keep you safer from rollovers. They include:

• Buy newer vehicles with better quality safety systems, including electronic stability control and side airbags.
• Wear seat belts, which will help keep you from being thrown about or out of a vehicle in the event of a rollover crash. Nearly half of rollover fatalities occur when people are partly or completely ejected from vehicles.
• Inflate tires to the proper pressures.
• Don’t overload a vehicle, especially with heavy loads stored high, such as on the roof.
• Don’t speed.

Take it easy on country roads— almost three-quarters of fatal rollovers occur in rural areas on roads where the speed limit is 55 miles per hour or more. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, those roads tended to be undivided highways without barriers.

If You Suffer an Injury in a Rollover Collision, Call Hasner Law PC to Discuss Your Options with a Savannah Car Accident Attorney

If you are injured in a rollover automobile accident in Savannah, you should explore your compensation options. Take advantage of a free case evaluation to determine if an attorney in Georgia can help maximize your compensation for your injuries.