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Rollovers

Contrary to popular belief, a rollover crash can happen in any type of vehicle. SUVs, Jeeps and other multi-use vehicles like pick-up trucks and minivans, typically ride higher off the ground than a normal passenger automobile and have higher centers of gravity. The culprit for side turnovers is the height of the vehicle itself, in addition to driver’s handling style and road conditions. They are more susceptible to rollover even if the automobile is involved in a single-vehicle crash, though some are more so than other types.

Find out what type of vehicle is the most susceptible to a rollover. Visit the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration’s website for specific rollover information at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/rollover/ratingsub_vcc.htm.

Some cars come equipped with an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) sensor that alerts the driver of an oncoming rollover, giving the driver ample time to react before an accidental rollover occurs.

To test the efficiency of these devices, a maneuverability test is preformed using a heavily loaded vehicle, representing an automobile with five adult passengers. A tight U turn is made at a predetermined speed, where the test driver or computer driven automobile is turned sharply in one direction, then quickly back, within one second response time. The automobile is considered as “tipped”, if both the vehicle’s inside tires come off the ground at least two inches off the surface of the road simultaneously. The overall risk for a rollover in a particular automobile will fall into one of the five ranges of rollover risk, which determines its star rating.

If you would like more information regarding passenger car, light truck, and SUV roll-over information, check out the following links:

• Current roll-over ratings
  Roll-over ratings released February 6, 2004 by NHTSA.



• SUV Safety Concerns
  Reviewing the performance of SUVs in roll-over crash tests.



• Smart Motorists - Roll Over Study
  Looks at ground clearance of the SUV in determining roll over ratings.



• R & D - Roll-over Protection
  Reviews roll-over ratings in the U.S. and discusses current research and development in the field.



• SUVs and Pick-up Trucks do Better Than Expected on Rollover Tests
  Off-Road.com reviews the current statistics on passenger and light truck rollover tests.