Rollover accidents are among the deadliest types of accidents in which a driver can be involved. According to Safecar.gov, aside from your vehicle type, other factors such as driver behavior and road and environmental conditions can cause a vehicle to roll over. So, what specifically has been linked to causing these accidents? Driving at an excessive speed or traveling with more than one passenger? If you’re interested in knowing so that you can help prevent one of these accidents from transpiring, read on below to find out.
- Driving while Intoxicated. “BAC” level is your blood alcohol concentration level, meaning the amount of alcohol that is detected in your system. A breathalyzer, blood, or urine sample can determine a driver’s BAC level. And what Safecar.gov has found is that whenever a driver’s BAC level is anything above .00, it will “negatively affect your judgment, muscular coordination, and vision, making you more likely to lose control of your vehicle.” This means that ANY alcohol can contribute to a rollover accident.
- Speeding tends to be a common factor in many fatal rollover crashes. In fact, 40% of fatal rollover crashes involve excessive speeding and nearly ¾ of fatal rollovers occurred on roadways with a posted speed limit of 55 mph or higher. The short answer is speed kills. Slow down and you stand a better chance of maintaining control over your vehicle.
- The type of vehicle you drive. While it is possible for all types of vehicles to rollover, those that are taller and narrower such as SUV’s, pickups and vans have a higher tendency to flip when involved in a single-vehicle accident. Remember that next time you are thinking about adding a lift kit to your car.
- Your location. Rollover accidents occur frequently on rural roads as many tend to be undivided and without barriers.
- Distraction/Over-correction. We have all been driving when we get momentarily distracted and almost veer off the road. The tendency when this happens is to jerk the wheel back toward the roadway, which can result in an over-correction, causing the vehicle to fishtail back and forth. 90% of the vehicles involved in single-vehicle rollover crashes were involved in routine driving maneuvers such as going straight or driving on a curve at the time of the crash. When a driver is distracted, inattentive, or even impaired, they drastically increase their chances of causing an accident. So put your phone down and pay attention and you may prevent a rollover and save your own life.
As a final note, while a well-executed hand break slide is almost guaranteed to get your blood pumping, please remember that you are probably not as talented as you think you are. So let’s leave the action scenes to the stunt drivers and drifting to the BMW performance track.
Now that you are familiar with the types of behaviors that increase the chances of a rollover accident occurring, it is best to refrain from engaging in any of these to ensure that the public safety is never compromised. To help further encourage safe driving, the NHTSA has reported some eye-opening data after a conducting a study on rollover accidents of which some of those findings are shared below:
- Nearly three-fourths of occupants killed in rollover crashes were not wearing their seat belts and just under two-thirds of them were completely ejected from the vehicle.
- Rollover crashes are more likely to result in fatalities than other types of crashes.
- The number of fatal crashes involving light truck rollover crashes has increased among SUV’s and vans.
- Approximately 85% of rollover-related fatalities are the result of single-vehicle crashes, meaning no other vehicles were involved.
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If you someone you know has been involved in a rollover accident caused by the negligence of another in or near Spartanburg or Greenville, SC, consider contacting or visiting Hammack Law Firm to learn more about your legal rights. You may be entitled to collect various forms of compensation and Greenville, SC personal injury attorney Paul Hammack is a qualified professional who is capable of helping you recover it.
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