Rollover Accidents
Rollover car accidents are among the most terrifying accidents on our roadways, and they are just as dangerous as they are frightening. Knowing the causes most common to rollovers can help you drive defensively in avoidance of these deadly accidents. If another motorist’s negligence causes you to be injured in a rollover accident, obtain the professional legal counsel of an experienced Central Texas personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Driver Error
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) reports that many rollover accidents stem from driver error. Such errors often involve over compensating in driving emergencies – rather than safely steering through these dangerous situations. In the heat of the moment, however, overcorrection is all too common. Better understanding the driving errors that are closely associated with rollovers can help you avoid them:
Speeding
Excessive speeding correlates to deadly rollovers more closely than it does to any other kind of traffic fatality. Close to 40 percent of all rollover fatalities involve speeding on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or higher.
Driving while Impaired
It goes without saying that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is always dangerous, but this statement does not do justice to the fact that half of all rollover deaths involve an impaired motorist. Even a relatively small amount of alcohol can impair your ability to safely maneuver a driving emergency, which leaves you more susceptible to rollovers.
Traveling Rural Highways
Rollover accidents happen most often on rural highways and roads. Typically, rural roadways are undivided and are absent the additional safety features with which more traveled highways are equipped. About 75 percent of rollover deaths occur on country roadways that have posted speed limits of 55 mph or higher.
Traveling on Worn or Damaged Tires
When it comes to safe driving, your tires are your first line of defense. Tires connect our vehicles to the road, and when they are worn, damaged, and/or improperly inflated, your chances of being in a rollover accident increase. The condition of your tires is directly related to your ability to safely control your car, and without adequate control, you are much more susceptible to the dangers of rollover accidents.
Rollover Accidents Happen
The rollover statistics forwarded by the NHTSA are significant:
Rollovers account for upward of 10,000 traffic fatalities each year – about a third of the yearly total.
Following the safety rules of the road decreases your chances of rolling your vehicle.
Vehicles that sport higher centers of gravity, such as some trucks and SUVs, are more prone to rollover accidents.