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Overview of SUV Rollovers
Compared to regular sedan passenger cars, SUVs (sport utility vehicles) are more likely to roll over during an accident. SUVs are typically taller than regular passenger cars, but do not have a much wider wheelbase. This gives SUVs a higher center of gravity. Thus, a sudden maneuver that would not result in a roll over for a standard vehicle can result in a fatal roll over accident for the sports utility vehicle. Occupants of such vehicles can be tossed out of the SUV and be severely injured or even killed. Another result of SUV rollover is roof crush. During a rollover accident, the absence of a strong roof or roll bar can cause intrusion of the occupant's survival space due to the collapse of the vehicles roof. The end result is often serious head or neck injuries sustained by the vehicles occupants. Although many manufacturers acknowledge that rollovers do occur few SUVs have been equipped with life saving designs or construction to provide sufficient strength to prevent vehicle roof crush. A high center of gravity and the lack of proper roof strengthening leads to fatal injuries for the drivers and passengers of sport utility vehicles.
A Few Facts About SUV Rollovers and Safety
- There were an estimated 70,000 SUV rollovers in 2002, in which it's estimated 2000 people died.
- In the 10-year period during which Ford-Firestone related rollovers caused some 300 deaths, more than 12,000 people -- 40 times as many -- died in SUV rollover crashes unrelated to tire failure.
- A Ford Explorer is 16 times as likely as the typical family car to kill occupants of another vehicle in a crash.
- 1 out of 4 new vehicles sold in the U.S. is an SUV, making it the most popular type of vehicle in America. The Ford Explorer is the most popular SUV in the world
Although rollover crashes constitute only 3 percent of vehicle crashes, these crashes are responsible for one-third of all crash fatalities -- 10,000 deaths annually. Yet rollovers are highly survivable crashes, because the forces applied to occupants during the collision are far lower than those experienced in other types of crashes. This survivability suggests that rollovers are dangerous due to poor vehicle design. In addition, safety belts and seat structures are not made to keep occupants in place during a crash, and vehicle roofs are so flimsy that when they absorb the full weight of the car they crush into occupants' heads and spines, inflicting very serious injuries.
SUVs Are Unsafe On Any Tires
In the 10-year period during which Ford SUVs outfitted with Firestone tires caused some 300 deaths in rollover accidents, more than 12,000 people died in SUV rollovers unrelated
to tire failure. |
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Key Points on Rollover and Roof Crush Risks:
- The major sources of the most serious rollover injuries are 1) roof intrusion -- causing severe head and neck injuries, and 2) full and partial ejection, primarily through broken side windows.
- Even belted occupants suffer partial ejection of their arms and heads, while unbelted occupants can be completely ejected.
- The new NHTSA standard addresses neither of these major causes of injury to far side occupants, and would leave even belted near side occupants exposed to risks from ejection.
It is possible to prevent 200 casualties (deaths and serious injuries) a week, or about 10,000 each year, with properly designed rollover protection to strengthen the roof and reduce ejections. Yet NHTSA has said that its new rule on roof crush will not save many lives.
The leading cause of death in van accidents is rollovers. Because of the speed involved in the accidents, untested environments, such as uneven or slick surfaces and the actual design of the vehicles themselves, crash and rollover tests do not meet real world circumstances. The current standards are simply not enough to replicate what happens on the highways that we drive on.
Faulty design is a leading contributor to rollover accidents, some even single car accidents. Here's a list of some safety issues that are common with SUVs, trucks and vans:
- Weak roof structure - does not prevent roof crush - allows driver/passenger ejection
- High center of gravity
- Faulty Seat Belts
- Seat back failures
- Narrow wheelbase
- Top heavy design with high center of gravity
- Weak window glass that allows driver/passenger ejection
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