MA Car Accident Attorney | Rollover Accident Statistics
Unfortunately, vehicle accidents happen every day across the United States. While there are many types of accidents such as head-on or rear-end collisions, rollover accidents have increased dramatically within the last decade. Due mostly to the growing popularity of sport-utility vehicles, better known as SUVs, rollover accidents have become so prevalent that the federal government has conducted numerous studies on their statistics. And from what they have found, the results have been startling.
According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, rollover accidents kill more than 10,000 U.S. drivers and passengers each year. And to demonstrate just how serious rollover crashes are to those involved, studies have indicated that there is a 36 percent greater chance of serious injury in a rollover accident than in other types of accidents. In fact, the NHTSA studies revealed that 61 percent of rollover accidents involved an SUV, leading to the conclusion that a number of cars are much less likely to be involved in a rollover accident.
In many rollover accidents examined by the NHTSA, the cause of the rollover itself was tread separation. The agency found that Ford Explorer SUVs suffered the majority of these accidents, with most of the incidents involving Firestone tires. In these accidents, there were found to be more than 200 deaths and over 700 injuries.
However, perhaps the most disturbing statistic involving rollover accidents focuses on the use of seatbelts for both drivers and passengers. According to the NHTSA, 75 percent of all people who died in rollover accidents were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident. While in most accidents the height and width of the vehicle played a significant role, other factors that came into play were suspension system design, location of the vehicle s engine mount, and the weight of its sunroof.
While vehicles such as the Ford Explorer and Chevy Tahoe rank near the top of most dangerous SUVs that are involved in rollover accidents, cars such as the Mazda 3 came out near the top. So while those who are involved in these accidents and survive often seek the services of a Massachusetts personal-injury lawyer or a MA car accident attorney to advise them as to whether they have a valid case, that does not guarantee the case will be accepted or that a favorable outcome will be the result if the case comes to trial. Nevertheless, a consultation with a Massachusetts personal injury attorney is often recommended.
