Shortly after the turn of the millennium, sport utility vehicles began experiencing awful difficulties with pre-mounted tires that accompanied the vehicle when it left the lot. Specifically, the Firestone tire company began experiencing terrible difficulties in manufacturing new tires, and this difficulty became a direct influence in causing SUV rollover deaths.

In a study conducted by the United States government, it was found that around 300 people died in SUV accidents involving a rollover in 2003. Despite gas prices, sport utility vehicles continue to be a popular choice at the car lot. It’s important, before purchasing your next vehicle, to understand the facts and statistics records on its safety.

Court cases have been heard throughout the country, involving people involved in accidents that included SUV rollover deaths. In some, the jury has walked away undecided if driving was a factor in a particular case; in others, the jury has awarded millions of dollars.

In any given year after the year 2001, nearly four thousand people have been killed either as a result of mixed signals on the highway, or reckless driving. Many thousands more have been killed in similar accidents. The statistics are grim. It is far safer to drive a four-door sedan than a sport utility vehicle. Despite that, many people buy SUVs for the thrill of sitting higher and the perceived safety of having a tougher or better-constructed vehicle.

Driving an SUV is completely unlike driving a sedan. Turning radii are different, time required to speed up and slow down are different, and, most importantly, the aerodynamics of an SUV versus a car is vastly different. By taking these differences into account and living by a few simple suggestions, you can greatly improve your chances of not suffering a fatal accident.

First, with a different turning radius, SUVs also have a different center of balance than typical four-door vehicles. Because of these interrelated differences, special care must be taken when driving your SUV around curvy roads, especially if those curves are enhanced by height and speed.

Always slow down when approaching curves; many accidents occur when drivers turn too quickly and lose control of their vehicle. If your SUV comes equipped with a traction system, ensure it is always engaged. When driving your vehicle in four-wheel drive instead of a normal driving mode, ensure that you are in the right gear and that your turns are made that much more carefully.

Next, avoid becoming a statistic as an SUV rollover death by understanding that it takes longer both to speed up and slow down in an SUV rather than in a car. Because SUVs are larger and heavier than typically automobiles, and because their different size and bulk add weight to their frame, speed can be a definite factor.

When driving your SUV, always allow adequate room behind the car in front of you, so that if they need to stop in a hurry, you will not cause an accident. When traveling at slower speeds, you should be able to see a bit of ground behind the tire of the car in front of you; this will indicate that you are following at a safe distance.

When you are in faster traffic, use the rule of three: locate a sign and start counting just when the car in front of you passes it. Stop counting when you pass that vehicle. That means time’s up!

Finally, keep in mind that due to vastly different aerodynamics, your SUV will drive quite a bit differently than a four-door sedan. Wind blowing in your area may have a role in the stability of your vehicle. Minimize this role by planning your drives, especially in windy weather, quite carefully.

Many drivers tend to lose their cool when a gust of wind blows a car a few feet sideways. When this happens, drivers tend to jerk the steering wheel in the opposite direction, and end up overcompensating for the difference in geographic placement.

If the worst happens and one of your family members is involved in an accident including SUV rollover deaths, you’ll need to give serious consideration to mountain a lawsuit against various parties for having a share of the blame in your accident.

Typical lawsuits are against automobile manufacturers, while some also include tire corporations. Do not assume that just because a loved one has died, a lawsuit is winnable.

Many factors can lead to a fatal occurrence in your SUV. In court, if it can be proven that the driver was in some way responsible, the outcome will not necessarily be favorable. Driver responsibility includes knowing the condition of tires, pointing out obvious defects.

The key fact to keep in mind is that additional safety and well-thought-out planning can go a long way towards preventing you and your family from turning into one of the statistics of SUV rollover deaths.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

The worst has happened and you are dealing with the aftermath of a death or deaths caused by an SUV rollover. As you and your family struggle to pick up the pieces and move on with life, there are many appropriate and necessary action to attend to, including a funeral and burial for the person or people who have been killed.

Many who have lost loved ones then decide upon an additional plan of action, which includes investigating legal options. Consulting with SUV rollover accident lawyers is a good way to get started to see if there are any legal options that can be chosen in order to deal with your tremendous loss. These very same lawyers can be consulted if you are seeking compensation for grievous injuries caused.

When consulting with an SUV rollover accident lawyer, it is important to establish two main pieces of the case. First, what is the jurisdiction within which the case will proceed? Your lawyer will help you to specifically pinpoint areas on which to focus. The second main piece of getting started on a case is establishing the standing to sue. This process is a bit more time consuming, but is ultimately very important. Without the standing to sue, you have no case.

So how can you tell if you have the standing necessary to proceed within a court case? If your best friend’s mother’s college room mate’s nephew, who you met at his first cousin’s Bar Mitzvah, has an accident which upsets you terrible, you probably have no standing to sue.

While you may be emotionally affected by the death, the courts will only recognize standing when the person seeking to sue is directly, physically and psychologically impacted by the death that has been caused. Again, there has to be a logical connection between the person seeking to sue and the person who has died.

If you consult a lawyer regarding an injury caused by an SUV rollover, the only person with standing to sue is typically the one injured, unless the injured party is a minor child or is in some other way dependant upon you. Any case that will come about as a result of your lawyer consultation must be filed within a fairly quick time frame, if you are to hope to succeed. Juries are far more sympathetic when they can see injuries right in front of them, rather than hearing detached accounts of what happened.

Second, before consulting with an SUV rollover accident lawyer, it is important for you to decide what exactly your objectives are for that meeting. Are you seeking to have medical bills paid for someone who survived, or funeral bills funded for someone who didn’t. Seeking that type of response is to seek compensatory damages.

In other words, you would be compensated for your loss directly. Other forms of damages can be sought as well in cases include SUV rollovers, injuries and deaths. Punitive damages are often sought in the event of horrendous accidents where the cause lies with another party.

Not much is ever heard of cases where the award is ten thousand to offset the cost of a funeral, but the cases where large amounts of punitive damages are sought are on television programming and the front page of the danger. While greed may become a factor, it is important to keep all expectations reasonable and in line with what has occurred. Expecting large amounts of punitive compensation can lead to cases being thrown out of court and termed frivolous.

SUV rollover accident lawyers can also help to facilitate other processes that may need to be completed when you have either suffered an injury due to an SUV rollover or your family has suffered a death. These lawyers can help you to file for appropriate disability benefits you may be due after your accident.

In cases where a death has occurred, the lawyer you consult can help to file for Social Security death benefits and a variety of other benefits payable upon death, both in the form of life insurance and assistance for minor children and dependant spouses.

Dealing with the aftermath of an SUV rollover can be terribly frustrating and confusing. Instead of muddling through on your own, turn to a qualified expert who can help you tremendously in this distressing time. SUV rollover accident lawyers are committed to helping you become whole again after an accident which has caused injury or death, and will be by your side every step of the way.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

Starting in the mid-1990s, sport utility vehicles, known colloquially as SUVs, began to receive a lot of attention when accidents became prevalent due to poor body design, faulty tires, and excessive speed. As SUV rollover injuries increased, sport utility vehicles went through a period of extreme unpopularity, as consumers became wary of the level of safety available.

Although manufacturers have made many improvements to sport utility vehicles since that time, accidents still occur. Before heading out in your SUV, keep in mind the current statistics on the safety of your vehicle, as well as some tips to keep yourself and your family safe on the road.

The United States government has tracked statistics on accidents involving sport utility vehicles for over a decade. When considering the millions of accidents that occur on American highways and local roads every year, studies have shown that an SUV is more than sixteen times likely to be involved in an accident causing injuries or death than a four-door sedan.

Similar studies noted that the number of SUVs involved in rollover accidents has risen considerably. SUV rollover injuries have also risen as a result of the increased amount of accidents. In 2003, more than four thousand people died as a result of an SUV rollover, and non-fatal injuries numbered substantially higher.

In the face of these grim statistics, there are steps you can take while driving to ensure that your trip to the mall doesn’t include injuries as a result of your SUV rolling over. These steps are beneficial to both you as the driver, your companions as passengers, and the drivers and passengers of the other vehicles who traverse the roads you frequent.

Although no amount of safety and foresight can guarantee one hundred percent that you will not be involved in an accident, prudence and planning can increase your chances of avoiding incidents substantially higher.

First, before getting into your vehicle, give it a careful visual once-over. SUV rollover injuries can sometimes occur as a result of some kind of damage present on a vehicle long before it encounters trouble. One important sign to look for is if your vehicle is canting to one direction or another.

This could be indicative of either tires not balancing correctly, flat tires, or much more serious problems with the suspension and frame of the vehicle. A thirty-second once-over could prove to save your life. It is important to remember that if you find anything that makes you feel uncomfortable about riding in your SUV, you have it taken care of immediately.

Second, always ensure that you and your passengers are wearing your seatbelts at any time when your vehicle is in motion, or during times when your vehicle is idling in traffic. The latter is extremely important; drivers and riders often assume that just because their own car is not moving, there is no danger. This is far form the case, as you could become involved in an accident while you are parked in place, and so the protection offered by wearing your seatbelt is paramount.

If you will be traveling with any minor children, ensure that they are safely and securely buckled into approved child-safety equipment. It is always preferable that a child be seated in the back seat of your car; the deployment of the passenger-side airbag can have a devastating effect on a car seat.

Every state and many countries have different requirements as to what age special restraint much be used through and what types of restraints are necessary. Always use, at a minimum, what is required by your locale. It is always best to have as much insurance against SUV rollover injuries as possible.

Finally, remain alert and aware of your surroundings each and every time you operate your motor vehicle. This is not necessary only for your own driving; it is also necessary to remain alert and aware of the passengers in your vehicle, and alert and aware of the drivers with whom you share the road.

Even if you are the most cautious driver in the world, you could still encounter trouble on random occasions. Remaining alert will enable your reflexes to kick in when necessary to avoid an accident.

Sport utility vehicles are both fun to drive and a tremendous storage and transport solution. By understanding the danger that may accompany their usage as well as observing a few easy techniques to stay out of accidents, you can increase your chances of avoiding SUV rollover injuries.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

Screech! You’ve had an accident and have either been injured as a result, or someone involved in the accident has been killed. Your accident may have been caused by any number of reasons, and as those reasons are explored, it may be in your best interest to investigate the option of filing an SUV rollover lawsuit. Before you make the first appointment with an attorney, there are a few important things you must consider to ensure that everything possible can be done in order to make you whole again after your accident.

First, the circumstances of the accident need to be fully explored. Accidents often have more than one contributing factor, and they are seldom as simple as they may appear to be. Therefore, you must carefully evaluate all aspects of the accident and ensure that you have the appropriate documentation to back up anything that may have contributed. Major contributing factors you will need to evaluate include the condition of the SUV and any propensity towards rolling over, the condition of the tires and any propensity towards blowing out, the weather conditions during the time of the accident and the subsequent road conditions, the factor of speed in the accident, and if any other vehicles were involved in the accident.

If your vehicle is found to have been unstable, whether as a result of being top-heavy or constructed poorly, your automobile manufacturer will be the target of your lawsuit. Testing can be done on the vehicle following the accident to determine how likely it is that the construction of the vehicle caused the accident to occur. Acting in collusion with the construction of your vehicle is the quality of your tires. In recent years, Firestone tires have come under criticism because certain models were more likely than other models and brands to experience random blowouts of such a proportion as to cause your vehicle to roll. Most of the models that came under fire were those commonly used on sport utility vehicles. As a result, the number of SUV rollover lawsuits increased substantially in the first few years of this century.

Weather and speed can also be a contributing factor in the accident you have experienced. They are often not the only factors at play, however. In most cases, qualified experts can determine what percentage of an accident is due to weather and speed, so that the other percentages can also be assigned and damages recovered. For instance, let’s say experts determine that speed on wet roads contributed to the accident, but that the vehicle was also prone to rolling over due to equipment design.

In this example, those experts may decide that weather and speed contributed 40% to the cause of the accident but car design contributed 60%, you can still press a suit against the manufacturer to recover 60% of the damages caused. Therefore if the cost to repair the vehicle is $10,000 and the cost of your hospital bill totals $1,500, you can seek damages totaling $6,900 from the vehicle manufacturer. It is highly likely that the manufacturer will see out their own experts to assign percentages and assess damage values. Cases are often settle for the amount that divides the difference between the plaintiff and defendant’s assessments.

You’ll also need to account for the role any other vehicles played in your accident. Did another vehicle swerve in your direction, causing your accident? Were you rear-ended or hit head-on? Did another vehicle lose control, causing you to do the same? SUV rollover lawsuits can often have more than one defendant named; again, experts can be used to assign percentages of responsibility to determine which defendants are responsible for what damages.

After assigning blame, you’ll need to determine whether or not to seek punitive damages in addition to compensatory damages. Punitive damages are used as a means to “punish” defendants for their actions. When you consult with an attorney prior to filing your SUV rollover lawsuit, they can advise you on whether or not punitive damages are appropriate in the case of your accident, and if they are appropriate, to what extent they are sought.

Finally, whether the accident caused injury or death must be carefully considered. Obviously, the affect of a death is far greater than an injury and will likely cause you to seek far greater damages. When seeking damages for your family because of a death, you must consider loss of wages, loss of enjoyment, loss of companionship as well as other factors and losses you will suffer because of the death.

Once you have compiled all of the information and documentation you need and consulted with a qualified attorney, you will be able to pursue an SUV rollover lawsuit that can bring closure and compensation to yourself and your family.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

People are afraid to fly, afraid to play extreme sports, and afraid to bungee jump, and yet they jump into their vehicles without batting an eyelash. Unfortunately, more deaths are contributed to motor vehicle crashes than almost any other health or accident cause.

That doesn’t mean you have to stop driving, but what it does mean is that you should take extra precautions to stay safe while on the road, for your sake and for the sake of other drivers. For SUV owners, this means taking positive steps toward preventing SUV rollovers.

SUV rollovers are commonly caused by driving off of the regular road and hitting a ditch, bump, or obstacle, which causes the SUV to flip. However, rollover also can happen when traveling around curves too quickly over in adverse conditions. You can look at your SUV’s official rollover report to learn about the safety of your specific vehicle.

In general, a lower center of gravity is preferred, because it means that your SUV is less top-heavy and more likely to stay upright when going around curves. You can consider this on the most basic level by simply comparing your SUV to other SUVs on the market. How far apart are the back wheels and how proportionate is the top half to the bottom half? The father apart the tires and the heavier the bottom half in relation to the top, the safer your SUV will be when it comes to rollover.

If safety is important to you and your family, but you just don’t want to give up your top-heavy SUV, you can purchase an ESC (Electronic Stability Control). These devices can greatly reduce your risk of SUV rollovers while traveling in your SUV, and on top of that, it’s a pretty cool new gadget to test out in your car!

The ESC using an electronic sensory system to actually detect when you’re going to lose control of your SUV. You don’t even have to do anything. The ESC will automatically step in and do whatever it needs to do to help your vehicle stay in control. A number of different studies have tested the ESC, and all have concluded that this system can help to save lives, so this product is truly in the industry to save. Unless you absolutely have no way of paying for it, get an ESC for your SUV to prevent SUV rollovers and possibly save lives.

How could an electronic device possible control your vehicle to prevent SUV rollovers? After you install it in your car, the microcomputer will monitor your speed, throttle position, cylinder pressure, acceleration, braking, steering wheel angle, and more. It basically compares what you are trying to do with what the vehicle is actually doing.

For example, it can notice that your breaking and prevent the tires from locking up. How does this help with rollover? The computer can sense when your wheels on one side are beginning to lift and it can use single-tire braking and over methods to help shift weight to keep your SUV stable.

Of course, no system is fool-proof, and the ESC is not a replacement for common sense when you’re driving your SUV. The next time you purchase a vehicle, it’s a good idea to get an ESC – they’re called different things with different makers, so you may see the names StabiliTrak, AdvanceTrac, Vehicle Dynamics Control, and Precision Control System, among other things. However, take SUV rollover prevention into your own hands as well for the safest driving experience possible.

The vast majority of SUV rollovers don’t happen when traveling about curves too fast; they happen when you lose control and drive off of the normal road. Off-road, there are things like curbs, ditches, tree roots, and other kinds of bumps that can catch a wheel and spend you flying head over heels. Your ESC system, no matter how well it works, can prevent this type of thing from happening.

Stay safe when driving and you’ll go a long way in preventing SUV rollovers. Stay off of your cell phone unless its and emergency, don’t eat or play with the radio while driving, and generally keep your attention focused on the road.

Remember, you have to watch out for not only yourself, but other drivers as well, so reaction is as important as personal action. Be informed about vehicular safety and the new products on the market, like the ESC, and with a little common sense, you should be able to avoid all SUV rollover accidents.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com

When it comes to SUV rollovers, most people commonly approach them in one of two ways, either they are worried about the danger of rollover every time they get into an SUV or they brush it off as a myth, believing that SUV rollovers are only as common as any other vehicle rolling over. The truth, however, is somewhere in between these two trains of thought. Riding in an SUV isnt a death sentence as long as the driver is cautious and follows all traffic rules, but at the same time, Sport Utility Vehicles do tend to rollover more readily than other vehicles.

SUV rollovers are a safety issue you must understand; if you aren’t aware, you can’t protect yourself and your passengers, whether they be co-workers riding with you on a commute to work or your children in the backseat heading to soccer practice. The most common and easy way to learn about your particular SUV and the rate of rollover is to read the safety report. However, these reports can be a bit intimidating, presenting you with lots of figures and scientific data, so learning exactly how to read the report is crucial.

The first rollover reports appeared by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in early 2001. Of course, these reports were clouded in controversy, as not every SUV performed well. Companies such as General Motors went on the record as saying that the reports are misleading to consumers, which may have a shade of truth to it, since most people don’t accurately know how to read the entire report.

The most important part of the SUV rollover report is the SSF, which stands for Static Stability Factor. If you majored in physics in college, you probably are nodding your head, but for the rest of us, let me put it into simpler terms: SSF is reports how top-heavy your SUV is. Imagine putting a heavy basket of fruit on top of your head, as you’d try to walk, you’d feel unstable, like you were going to topple over, right? Top heavy means an SUV will be more likely to topple over as well, and so SUV rollovers will be more common.

SSF is a number computed by measuring the center of gravity on the SUV, which is largely due to the track width. Track width is just a fancy way of saying the distance between the tires, and the back tires are always used to keep everyone’s report consistent. Go back to imagining yourself with a basket on your head.

Imagine the result if you if you stand with your feet together versus if you stand with your feet a shoulder width’s apart. You’ll definitely feel more stability with your feet apart, right? The same is true in SUV rollover reports: the farther the tires (feet) are from one another, the more stable the SUV will be and the less likely for SUV rollovers to happen.

In theory, this is a perfect way to determine how likely your SUV is to rollover. That said, there are things that your SUV rollover report isn’t telling you. For instance, the vast majority of SUV rollovers occur when the driver accidentally (or purposely) drives off of the road and a wheel of the SUV hits a ditch, bump, curb, or other change.

The speed you are traveling also makes a difference, and a reaction to running off the road can play into the rollover as well. Would you slam on your brakes or pump the pedal? Would you jerk the wheel to gain control or try to keep steady, would you shift gears? Each of these factors in your own personal situation will help to determine if you will be involved in a rollover or not.

Also, one must take into consideration other safety features of an SUV before buying. When compared to all other vehicles, SUVs are, hands down, the safest in a collision due to their size and build. Use your common sense if you are worried about SUV rollovers. Death occurs largely do to the roof crushing, so of course a less stable roof, found if the roof is removable or has a sunroof, will be more dangerous if you actually get into a rollover situation.

That doesn’t mean that a rollover report is senseless. The rollover report’s SSF should weigh in your mind at least a bit, and can help you to decide between two vehicles if you are truly on the fence. Drive safely and SUV rollovers should never be an issue in the first place. All the safety reports in the world can’t make up for a bad driver.

Nick Johnson is lead counsel and founding partner of Johnson Law Group. Johnson represents plaintiffs injured in auto accidents, truck accidents and vehicle rollovers. Call 1-888-311-5522 immediately and visit http://www.topautoaccidentattorneys.com or http://www.toprolloveraccidentattorneys.com