Automakers have made real progress in recent years in minimizing the risk of deadly rollovers. Indeed, the majority of new vehicles rolling off the assembly lines, especially the large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles, are now equipped with electronic stability control and sport designs that distribute weight more evenly.
As impressive as this is, consider some of the following statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
- Over 10,000 people lose their lives in rollover crashes in the U.S. every year
- Roughly 33 percent of all passenger vehicle fatalities occur in rollover accidents
While the NHTSA attributes some of these figures to inherently dangerous driving practices like speeding, impaired driving and failing to buckle up, it also identifies one of the primary causes as vehicle design. Specifically, the agency calls out SUVs, pickups and vans — all vehicles with high centers of gravity — as being especially prone to rollover accidents.
What this all means is that even though some of the threat posed by rollover accidents has been neutralized by automakers, we still have a long way to go, particularly as far as things like vehicle stability and roof strength are concerned.
At VanNess & VanNess, P.A., we have extensive experience handling accident rollover accident cases and understand how these collisions can often be attributed to more than just the actions of negligent drivers.
To that end, we can determine exactly what went wrong in a rollover crash and, if necessary, retain the services of automotive experts who can determine whether engineering flaws were present and help us build a compelling case.
To learn more about our considerable skill in this complex area, please visit our website.
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