Although all vehicles have the capability to rollover under certain conditions, such as a driver losing control of a vehicle or hitting a curb, SUVs are more likely to rollover in much less serious conditions. For example, a sport utility vehicle may rollover when the driver is operating the vehicle on a flat, dry stretch of road. Many SUV accidents occur as single vehicle rollover accidents, not involving other vehicles. If you or a loved one has been injured in an SUV rollover accident in Missouri and Kansas, please contact Peterson & Associates today for a free consultation with an experienced SUV accident attorney.

There are many SUV design and manufacturing flaws which have been associated with rollovers, including:

High center of gravity-The vehicle has a higher center of gravity as compared to other types of automobiles. It is top heavy, placing the vehicle (and passengers) at risk for a rollover accident.

Lacking roll bar-Although SUVs are advertised as tough rugged vehicles which can be driven off-road, these vehicles are not equipped with roll bars. The roll bar is a standard safety feature in sports vehicles, designed to protect passengers in the case of a rollover accident by adding support to the roof to prevent it from being crushed or caving in.

Dangerous weight capacity-Although SUVs are supposed to be able to easily carry numerous people and transport large amounts of cargo, the vehicles are not designed to be weighed down. The more the vehicle weighs, with the addition of more people and cargo, the more likely the SUV is to rollover causing serious injuries to the driver and passengers.

Below are recent SUV injury and rollover statistics, which show how dangerous rollover accidents are:

• Over 10,000 people die due to rollover accidents annually.
• 33% of all passenger vehicle fatalities result from rollover crashes.
• More than 50% of single-vehicle accidents are rollovers.
• Over 35% of fatal crashes involved SUV's.
• Approximately 60% of SUV fatalities are caused by rollovers.