SUV and Light Truck Accidents

Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia

When you bought an SUV for yourself or a loved one, you were probably thinking they were safe, possibly safer than other cars. A rugged image and a commanding view over other traffic gives them the impression of safety. But this type of vehicle is subject to one important risk that makes them unnecessarily dangerous: the likelihood of rollover accidents.

If you were seriously hurt or lost a loved one in an SUV rollover accident in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, D.C., you might deserve compensation for an injury that should not have happened.  The personal injury lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C. are prepared to investigate your accident and pursue appropriate action against those who are responsible.  Please contact us for a free initial consultation.

Are SUVs and Other Light Trucks Safer?

SUVs and other light trucks are more likely than passenger cars to be involved in a fatal automobile accident, according to data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In 2007, the likelihood of a passenger car being involved in a fatal accident was 1.42 per hundred million miles traveled, but for a light truck, the likelihood was 1.85. But in a multi-vehicle collision between a passenger car and an SUV or other light truck, occupants of passenger cars may be twice as likely to die in a collision. If you are driving a light truck, you are more likely to kill an occupant of another vehicle.

But being in an SUV or other light truck doesn't make you any safer. The overall fatality rate for light trucks is 1.06 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, compared to 1.03 for passenger cars, essentially the same, something that has been true since the late 1990s.

While SUVs might be safer in an automobile accident with another vehicle, where they become dangerous is in rollover accidents, many of which are single-vehicle accidents. Rollovers account for nearly two-thirds of all SUV fatalities, and 83% of all rollover fatalities are in single-automobile accidents.

What Makes SUVs Dangerous

SUVs tend to be heavier than other passenger vehicles, something that accounts for their lethality in multi-vehicle crashes. They also have a chassis that is higher than passenger cars, which can make them dangerous to occupants of other cars, since their bumpers can ride over the reinforced protection zones of cars. But it is these very characteristics that make them dangerous to their own passengers and drivers.

Because of its high center of gravity, an SUV is more likely to roll over during maneuvers or accidents with or without "tripping." And, when an SUV rolls over, its mass turns against its passengers. The high mass can lead to crushing of the roof into the passenger cabin.

SUV rollovers are the cause of many preventable deaths and serious injuries in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.  If you were injured or lost a loved one in an SUV rollover, the automobile accident lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata, & Siegel, P.C. stand ready to help. Please call or email us today to learn what we can do for you.

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