Illinois Injury Law Blog

Technology and design are making SUVs safer than ever according to a recent story in the Chicago Tribune. They are no longer at a high risk for rollover accidents.

Our Chicago car accident lawyers know that rollover accidents can be deadly.

The sport utility vehicle design has undergone significant changes. SUVs no longer sit on a high truck frame but rather on a lower car frame, and they come equipped with stability technology to improve safety. Currently the death rate for SUV drivers in the newest Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report is half that of cars, partly due to their design changes.

According to the IIHS report, 23 out of 26 vehicles with the lowest death rates were mid-size or larger. Crash statistics indicated over half of those vehicles with the highest death rates were small vehicles or mini cars. Driver death rates for those driving 2005-2008 model vehicles during 2006-2009 were 48 per million registered vehicle years. SUVs had 28 fatalities per million registered vehicle years, while pickups averaged 52 deaths per million registered vehicle years. Rollover crashes have been declining over the years thanks to the emergence of electronic stability control technology. Most new vehicles have this technology that helps drivers maintain control of their vehicle by lessening the danger of a skid or rollover.When the system’s sensors identify a potential loss of steering control, they automatically hits the brakes to steer the vehicle in the direction the driver wants to go, thus preventing a potentially fatal rollover.

The 15 safest SUVs are: Audi A6 4-door 4WD, Mercedes E-Class 4-door 4WD, Toyota Sienna, Ford Edge, Armada, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Land Rover LR3, Honda CR-V, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Acura MDX, Mercedes E-Class 4-door, Lexus RX 400h, Lexus GX 470, Mercedes M-Class and the Saab 9-3 4-door.

The 15 most dangerous SUVs are: Nissan 350Z 2-door, Nissan Titan crew cab, Chevrolet Aveo, Chevrolet Cobalt, Nissan Titan extended cab, Kia Spectra, Chevrolet Malibu Classic, Hyundai Tiburon, Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Colorado extended cab, Nissan Titan crew cab, Kia Rio, Kia Spectra, Mazda Miata MX-5 and the Subaru Legacy.

The two main types of SUV rollover accidents are tripped and un-tripped:

-Tripped rollovers happen when a SUV goes off the road and either sinks into soft soil or hits something. The sinking in the soil or impact with an object is what causes the vehicle to tip and roll. This is the most common type of rollover accident, occurring 95 percent of time.

-Un-tripped rollovers usually occur when the SUV is going too fast and tries to make an evasive maneuver to avoid hitting another car or an object in the road. This sudden maneuver causes the vehicle to topple and roll.

Maintaining control of your vehicle by eliminating distractions and reducing speed is a sure-fire way of keeping you and other motorists safe on Chicago roadways.