Rollover Death Rate in Auto Accidents Worse in SUVs
In about 35 percent of auto accidents, death occurs when there is a rollover. In an SUV, the death rate jumps to 59 percent.
The key to surviving the crash, if you are not ejected, is the strength of the vehicle’;s roof.
The Insurance Institute Status report called Roll Over, concludes that roof strength “definitely influences injury risk” and says the federal government has greatly underestimated the number of deaths from a SUV roof crush.
The federal government is proposing upgrading roof strength standards, something that hasn’;t been changed since 1974 for passenger vehicles.
Presently, the roof must be able to withstand a force of 1.5 times the weight of the vehicles before reaching five inches of crush. The proposal is to increase that to 2.5 times the weight of the vehicle.
The Insurance Institute says that is a good start but even stronger roof standards would save even more lives.
If stronger roofs had been in place in 2006, about 212 of the 668 deaths in SUV rollovers might have been prevented.
With so many SUVs on the road, many driven by families with children, we are constantly blogging here about deaths due to rollovers. We think it’;s long overdue to strengthen the roofs on SUVs and passenger vehicles.
If you or a loved one has been injured from a rollover, suffering head injuries or even worse, we at Farah & Farah have a staff of experienced accident attorneys who can help. Call our Jacksonville offices.
