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.
These vehicles have a high center of gravity and narrow track width, which 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 pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, which have a higher ground clearance for off-road driving.
Neither cars nor trucks and SUV's are subject to a federal rollover standard, even though pressure for such a requirement has been building. To help predict which vehicles might have a greater likelihood to rollover 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.
The lawyers of Liles Harris have the expertise and resources to immediately investigate these types of collisions, to hire the experts necessary to analyze and prove a case at trial, and to guide you on the medical and insurance benefit issues your family will confront with such life-changing injuries that often result from such accidents.
