Rollover Accidents Targeted by Federal Government

Making a safer vehicle has long been an area of major concern for both lawmakers and auto manufacturers. Despite safety enhancements made to vehicles, fatal car accidents still happen due to many different factors that may be preventable. Officials examine these accidents to learn how they can make changes in the law that will help to reduce the amount of accidents that occur.

Vehicle rollovers are one of the issues receiving greater focus from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Even with the implementation of electronic stability controls (computerized breaking of individual wheels), rollovers still happen frequently enough that the agency decided that greater action is required.

While rollovers may not be as common as front-end collisions, they are much more deadly. The NHTSA states that an individual in a rollover is 14 times more likely to die than someone in a frontal crash. The agency also cites to Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data reporting that if an individual was not completely ejected in a rollover, they were 64 percent less likely to die in one of these types of accidents.

Potential New Rule to Prevent Rollover Injuries

The NHTSA has called for a new rule to be put in place that would force auto makers to take additional steps to protect occupants in the event of a rollover. Starting in 2013, the agency will require larger side-panel airbags in 25 percent of all vehicles being manufactured. These airbags will be mandatory in all specified vehicles by 2018.

By 2018, the agency hopes this will prevent 373 deaths and 476 injuries that occur in rollovers each year. The rule will apply to vehicles that weigh 10,000 pounds or less, which will impact most passenger vehicles, including cars and SUVs.

Despite the fact that most states have seat belt laws in effect, many of the injuries and deaths sustained in rollovers result because the victim was not buckled in at the time of the crash. This makes it much more likely for an ejection to result. The agency’s new rule is also designed for those who are not wearing their seat belt, as manufacturers will be asked to develop additional safety measures that will prevent someone inside the vehicle from being moved more than four inches outside of side window panels in a crash.

When Daylight Saving’s Time ended a few days ago, Americans turned back their clocks one hour. For many, the change was welcome as it afforded them one “extra” hour to sleep, enjoy leisure time or work last Sunday. However, the repercussions of ending Daylight Savings Time traditionally extend into the days and weeks after Americans “Fall Back.”

Because this time change immediately results in fewer daylight hours than usual, it can take some time for motorists, pedestrians, truckers, bikers and cyclists to adjust to the shift. As a result, Americans traditionally suffer an elevated rate of motor vehicle accidents during this transition. For the next few weeks in particular, it will be critical for you and your loved ones to be extra cautious when traveling.

AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs recently explained the situation at hand when she noted that travelers are now experiencing, “shorter days, longer nights, and darkness settling in earlier than they have been used to for the last seven months. We’re reminding motorists of the potential driving hazards that low light or dark conditions bring especially as dusk falls. Twilight is one of the most challenging times to drive because your eyes are adjusting to the increasing darkness.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), pedestrians are most at risk of being affected by the Fall Back transition, as the vast majority of pedestrian fatalities occur at night. Please, whether you are now commuting in the dark by car, motorcycle, bike or by foot, be careful during this seasonal transition. Your life and the lives of others around you might depend on your vigilance.

Source: Baltimore News Journal, “AAA offers pedestrian safety tips as Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend,” Nov. 1, 2013