SUV Roof Crush|Double Lane Change
Are SUVs Crashworthy?
They are big. They make you feel safe. But under certain circumstances the SUV is a hearse. It’s a vehicle that can easily take your life in a rollover accident or inflict catastrophic, life-altering injuries. Some experts say, the very height and size of an SUV limits its crashworthiness. Manufacturing defects, such as weak roofs and improper safety restraint systems, further reduce the SUVs ability to protect passengers in accidents. Not one single SUV received the highest safety rating awarded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association in 2003. In 2005, NHTSA reported that approximately 10,000 people die each year in vehicle rollover accidents, many in SUVs. Sixty percent of these victims weren’t wearing seatbelts. According to data in 2007 from Consumer Reports, another 24,000 victims suffered catastrophic injuries including paralysis and brain damage in rollovers.
The Danger of the Double Lane Change in an SUV
The rate of SUV rollovers is two to three times greater than that of cars. Because SUVs have a higher center of gravity and because their height makes them more top heavy, they are more prone to rollover, especially when swerving abruptly to avoid hitting an object or person. Double lane-change is a test that measures the maneuverability of the SUV. In real life, a double lane change often occurs when an SUV driver is trying to avoid an accident. This sudden maneuver can easily cause the SUV to tip on two wheels, resulting in a roll over. This type of rollover occurred frequently in 2000 with Ford/Firestone vehicles, leaving hundreds dead and many more injured.
Tragedies Caused by SUV Roof Crushes
In rollover accidents, roof crush is the primary cause of serious injury and death. In 2005, NHTSA estimated that there are 596 fatalities and 807 serious injuries annually caused by passenger contact with a collapsed roof during a rollover crash. An SUV needs a strong roof to create the “survival space” necessary to protect occupants during a rollover crash. Despite heavy criticism from vehicle safety advocacy groups, SUV manufacturers are not installing the types of roll bars needed to protect occupants during rollovers. Manufacturers say it’s the force of the impact that causes injury and death, not the design of the roof. As long as they resist new roof safety designs, thousands of catastrophic injuries and deaths can be expected each year.
New Roof Standards Not Implemented
In 1973 the government created the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 216 that measures the integrity of roof structure in motor vehicles. Under this standard, a roof pillar on a passenger car cannot deform more than five inches when subjected to a force 1 ½ times the vehicle’s weight or 6,000 lbs. Since this test applies only to vehicles that weigh six thousand pounds or less, and since most SUVs weigh more than that, they are virtually exempt from this 30-year-old compulsory standard. In 2005, NHTSA proposed a new roof crush standard that would increase vehicle weight to 10,000 to include SUVs. By March 2008 it had still not been approved.
Filed under Automobile Injury, Driving Accident Injury, SUV Rollover Accident | Comments (2)SUV Safety Ratings | Crash Test Rating
Are you driving a car that can kill you in a minor accident? If it’s an SUV, it could. “In 2005, 60 percent of SUV occupants killed in crashes were in vehicles that rolled over.” And SUVs have a greater propensity in that regard. Despite the stabilizers on newer models, they can still roll over in minor accidents at low speeds due to their height and weight. Once an SUV is hit and it begins to slide sideways, it can easily roll over if it is “tripped.” What could “trip” an SUV? As the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety reports, it can be “a curb, guardrail, tree stump or soft or uneven ground… or when a driver tries to turn an SUV too aggressively at high speed.” If and when an SUV rolls over, occupants are subject to catastrophic injuries from SUV roof crush injuries.
A New Crash Test Reveals Additional Faults
A recent test done by the IIHS shows that “side and rear impact crashes remain a weakness” in midsize SUVs. “The worst performers in the side crash test were the Jeep Liberty, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Nitro and Kia Sorrento, all 2008 models,” according to a recent CNN report. The fault lies with airbags and how well they protect occupants in serious side crashes. An IIHS spokesman said, “SUV’s should have an inherent advantage In such crashes because drivers and occupants ride up higher than in cars….but many cars perform much better in our side test than some of the SUVs in this group.” The Institute’s tests also show that the Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Trailblazer are “among the worst performers” in new tests at 31 mph. And two of Nissan’s midsize SUVs must be equipped with optional side airbags to perform well even at this speed. The bottom line should give consumers pause when it comes to serious side crashes in these SUVs.
Filed under Automobile Injury, SUV Rollover Accident, Uncategorized | Comments (4)SUV ROLLOVERS STILL THREATEN DRIVERS
While new models of SUVs have been improved to combat the vehicle’s propensity to rollover, thousands of older SUVs are still on the road, exposing drivers and passengers to catastrophic injuries, killing and maiming those who bought the vehicles for “safety.” While the SUV created the illusion of safety on the road because of its size compared to other vehicles, the image was deceiving. The older SUV is three times more likely to rollover than any other passenger vehicle, according to SUV Rollover Statistics www.onlinelawyersource.com. SUVs had the highest rollover rate of any vehicle involved in fatal crashes and the highest rollover rate for passenger vehicles in injury crashes. And rollovers are the deadliest types of accidents.www.pbs.org. They frequently cause head trauma - the most serious type of fatal and nonfatal injury in a rollover, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.suvrollovernews.com). Adding to the danger, “…the overwhelming majority of rollovers occur during ordinary situations,” says NHTSA, when a driver swerves to avoid a stopped car or accidentally veers off the road. Because the SUV has a higher center of gravity, it is less stable on the road. Defective tires have also played a role in older SUV accidents. And particular models of older SUVs are noted for being involved in serious rollover accidents. “In 2003, almost 4,500 people died in SUV accidents, a twenty two percent increase from 2001.” www.onlinelawyersource.com. Since older SUVs have none of the new built-in safety features that make them less likely to roll over, drivers of older models would do well to consult an attorney if their SUV is involved in an accident to make sure their legal rights are protected.
