SUV Rollover Accidents

San Diego SUV rollover accident attorneys answer frequesntly asked questions about SUV rollover instability cases

Can manufacturers of cars be held responsible for light trucks and SUVs that roll over in accidents?
Whenever there is a serious accident involving a significant injury or death with a light truck or SUV, the issues involving the design and manufactured stability of the car should always be examined. Over the last 20 years,our San Diego SUV rollover accident attorneys have seen many instances of injuries and wrongful deaths that could have been avoided had the light trucks and SUVs been more safely designed for routine and highly foreseeable evasive maneuvers.

How is weight a factor in collisions between SUV’s and passenger cars?
Small and midsize cars have become progressively lighter in weight over the last 30 years. Steel in bumpers, grilles, and other impact-absorbing structures have been replaced by plastics which absorb less of the force of a collision. More of the impact of the larger, heavier SUV or truck is transmitted directly to the vehicle’s occupants.

How dangerous is a collision with an SUV for the driver or a passenger in a car?
For every person who dies in an SUV that collides with a car, four people die in cars hit by SUVs. Last year 5,447 people were killed in crashes involving a car and an SUV. That's over 1000 more deaths than occurred in crashes involving two ordinary cars.

Do SUV’s and light trucks pose a greater threat to pedestrians?
Because the Federal safety standards for light trucks are lower than for passenger cars, accident avoidance in an SUV is more difficult. Sport utility vehicles have less powerful brakes, and are less maneuverable. They account for disproportionate share of pedestrian deaths.

What is the risk of rollover in an SUV?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in high-speed maneuvers. SUVs are four times more likely to roll over than passenger cars. Some smaller, top-heavy SUVs have even rolled over in NHTSA side impact collision testing.

Does a collision between a small car and an SUV increase the risk of death for the car’s occupants?
SUV-to-car collisions are six times more likely to kill the occupants of the smaller vehicle compared to fatalities in normal car-to-car collisions.