Mar 02, 2021 in News News

News: Car accidents: What causes a vehicle to rollover?

When you hear about car accidents on the news, you’ll occasionally hear the term “rollover” being used. While rollovers don’t happen very frequently, when they do, they can be devastating.

A rollover occurs when the vehicle falls on its side or on its roof. Any vehicle can rollover, but automobiles that are taller and more narrow, such as an SUV, a van or a bus, are more likely to roll over due to the vehicle’s high centre of gravity. There’s more weight on the top of the vehicle, which makes it more susceptible to tipping over.

If a vehicle is travelling too quickly before making a turn and the driver attempts to quickly correct the motion, the vehicle destabilized and it tips over.

Typically rollovers aren’t caused by a steering error, but rather when the vehicle trips over something, such as a curb, pothole or the shoulder of a road, according to Consumer Reports. Tripping may also occur when the vehicle’s tires get caught in soft soil or hitting snowbanks.

Rollovers can also be caused in other types of incidents, such as a driver doing a high speed swerve to avoid debris or an accident. The weight on the top of the vehicle destabilizes the vehicle’s centre of gravity.

Over the Family Day weekend, there was a single vehicle rollover on a highway in Edmonton, which left three people dead and one person gravely injured, according to the CBC News. Three of the vehicle’s occupants were pronounced dead on the scene and the last occupant was airlifted to the hospital. The vehicle hit the shoulder of the highway while travelling and the vehicle lost control and rolled a few times before coming to a stop. The reasons behind the collision continue to be investigated.

At the end of 2014, a tractor trailer was involved in a single-vehicle rollover that killed the driver. At first, a medical emergency was cited as the cause of the incident, but it was later determined that the driver died from blunt force trauma from the crash, according to CBC News. The driver was operating a 53-foot tractor trailer and was in the process of exiting the highway through the Mohawk Road/Golf Links Road exit. The truck went off the ramp and flipped onto the area between the highway on and off ramps.

Here are some tips on how to prevent experiencing a rollover:

• Regularly check your tire pressure. Your tire’s grip affects the likelihood of your involvement in a rollover. If your vehicle isn’t properly inflated, this affects its ability to stay on the road. When the tires lose its grip, your car can tip over. Your tire inflation should be checked and corrected at least once a month and you should follow the manufacturer’s standards for the appropriate tire pressure.
• Be careful of your vehicle’s load. Drivers are legally responsible for any debris that spills out on roads and an overloaded vehicle is not stable. Avoid carrying loads on the top of the vehicle since this increases its chances of rolling over and strategically place your heaviest loads on your vehicle’s floor, near its centre and away from the tailgate.
• Watch your speed. If you’re travelling at a faster speed, the more force you experience during a collision, which increases a rollover’s impact. Make sure you safely slow down during turns, especially when entering or exiting a highway ramp.
• Drive carefully on rural roads. Many rollovers can occur on rural roads since drivers are travelling at fast speeds without any barriers. In 2012, there were 1,018 fatal collisions on rural roads, which had speed limits greater than 60 km/h, compared to 778 fatal collisions on urban roads, according to Transport Canada.
• Check your vehicle’s technology. Automakers are constantly improving a car’s safety since it can be a determining factor in some vehicle purchases. Both electronic stability control and side airbags can prevent your vehicle from being involved in a rollover or keep you safe in the event of one. Whenever you’re a vehicle, always wear your seatbelt since it improves your chances of surviving a rollover by preventing passengers from being ejected from the vehicle.

Motor vehicle accidents happen and accident benefits are available to anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident regardless of who caused the accident. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been dealing with all accident related issues throughout Ontario for over 50 years. We know how to get you the compensation that you deserve and get your life back in order after being in a car accident. Call us at 416-920-4242, set up a free consultation, and come speak with us.