According to CBS Minnesota, a 55-year old Crosby man was recently killed when his vehicle rolled over in Aitkin, Minnesota. The accident took place on highway 169. The man was driving a Chevy Silverado and was carrying one passenger who sustained non-life-threatening injuries. While the Minnesota State Patrol investigates the crash to determine its causes, the crash highlights the fact that pickup trucks are actually more at risk of rolling over in car accidents.
Michael Dulberger, who is president of the safety advocacy group called Informed for Life, explains that pickup trucks are actually the most dangerous vehicles on the road. Statistically, pickup trucks lead to the highest rate of injuries and fatalities. Because pickups tend to have a higher center of gravity than conventional vehicles, they have a higher risk of rolling over.
A recent Forbes article reported on how drivers can determine the safety of their vehicles. One of the best ways drivers can gauge how safe their vehicle will be is by looking into a particular car’s side-impact protection, stability, and rollover risk. SUVs and pickup trucks are at a higher risk of rolling over when the driver falls asleep behind the wheel, or swerves to avoid an animal or other vehicle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), SUVs and pickups have double the chance of rolling over in these kinds of accidents.
Electronic stability control is one way car manufacturers can make their cars safer.
The NHTSA has set out a mandate requiring electronic stability control in vehicles starting in 2012. Older cars do not always have this add-on. Electronic stability control applies the brake to one or more of the wheels during extreme driving maneuvers. The fact that this will be required in newer vehicles going forward will save close to 10,000 lives annually and prevent over 200,000 injuries.
The causes of the accident in Aitkin are still under investigation, but it is clear that some vehicles are more likely to lead to personal injuries than others.
At the end of the day, drivers are still responsible for the actions they take when they are behind the wheel. Forbes explains that even reliably safe cars can acquire bad safety reputations for being driven by inexperienced drivers or being used in maneuvers for which they are not designed.
If you’ve been in a car accident or a rollover accident, it is important to take into account all the factors that led to the accident. While a car’s particular safety rating is just one factor, driver negligence, distraction, speeding, or failure to obey traffic signs, can also lead to tragic accidents.
If you have suffered a loss due to a vehicle rollover, you need a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota who can help you seek justice. The Law Office of Martin T. Montilino is a personal injury firm devoted to offering aggressive litigation for its clients. Contact us today to learn more about how you can receive compensation for your injuries if you have been involved in a vehicle rollover.
